A tale of mischief
by julestales
Summary: Epilogue compliant. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny are all accomplished adults. But adulthood might have some suprises in store for them... Family and frienship are evolving. Love, dangerous games and attraction. Through Harry's eyes and mind. Full of HP details and characters, and of course, smut! HP world not my property.
1. Chapter 1 : The seed

**Hi dear readers !**

 **This story will talk about a lot of adult themes (some merely talked about, others really explored) : marriage, parenthood, sex, magical sex practices, passion, attraction, friendship and infidelity. It depicts the married lives of Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione now that all their kids are at Hogwarts. I try to keep it as canon as possible, to the best of my memory ;)**

 **There won't be any big plot. There will definitely be smut. There is a very present side of Harry/Hermione (won't say where it goes but if you don't like it at all, run !). I am writing to have fun and improve my english! I hope some of you will have fun reading! Please review if you do :)**

 **\- O -**

"Catch !" said Ron as he walked back into the lounge at Harry and Ginny's place, throwing a butterbeer to Harry.

"Thanks" said Harry as Ron slouched in the armchair next to him.

"I guess the girls are having a great time upstairs..." he said, chuckling and opening his butterbeer.

Hermione and Ginny had left them minutes ago to go upstairs and have their "weekly girls only moment" which Harry translated by "girl gossip".

"Blimey, those two… who would ever think they could get so girly at times?" asked Ron sounding genuinely surprised.

"Certainly not me" Harry answered, amused.

The four of them had been enjoying a nice dinner at Harry and Ginny's place after sending the last of their kids to Hogwarts a few weeks ago.

It had been a difficult moment, watching Lily boarding the train and leaving with her brothers for what Harry knew would be the beginning of her witch life. She had been so excited about Hogwarts ever since James had gone there.

When Albus went to Hogwarts, he was all nerves and anxiety. He reminded Harry of himself at the age of eleven. Harry had known nothing of the wizarding world. Albus anxiety was different though, he had always known his father's story and he thought he would disappoint him if he ended up in Slytherin.

Of course Harry had been thrilled to learn that all his children were Gryffindors, but he knew enough of life now to be open to any Hogwarts house scenario. And he sure knew from Neville (now teacher at Hogwarts) that Albus was very close friend with Scorpius Malfoy.

James and Lily had never doubted, they had embarked the Hogwarts Express with confidence in their Gryffindor heritage.

As for Teddy, his Godson, he was currently starting his career as a Law Enforcement Officer in Paris, near Victoire Weasley, who was training to be a healer.

Harry had not seen Teddy since the summer.

But now, with all his kids gone, Harry had mixed feelings. For one, he felt happy to be "free" with no family obligations, not to have to look at his watch repeatedly for Lily's dinner time, bed time and so on. It was going be very liberating for a while. On the other hand, he had a growing feeling of getting, well...old.

Even if he was only 39, a whole part of his adult life was behind him and it was confusing at times. He supposed he would just get used to it. After all, he did kind of got used to not having James and then Albus at home all the time. This time was just a bit different because there was no kid left in the house.

Anxiety drove inside him, but also excitement when he thought of all the free time he would now have. And more alone time with Ginny too...

Their life as parents had been, overall, fantastic. Difficult at times, mostly when the kids were toddlers and there was so much to do at home, so much tiredness.

Sometimes Ginny was just fed up with Harry for not being more at home. And he couldn't say she was wrong.

With her freelance contracts as a Journalist for the Daily Prophet and her training the Quidditch Junior League, she had managed to get more free time than he had at the Ministry as Head of Auror Department. He sometimes relayed too much on her, he knew that.

Of course Harry loved his kids and was always there for them.

But he knew there had been a time when he had let Ginny down.

Work and kids simply got in their way as it often did in adult life.

At the time, Harry had discussed all this with Hermione. Very ambitious, she had risen quickly within the Ministry. She sure understood Harry's feelings as she was struggling to balance her work and family lives as well. She was always good at advising. Even if sometimes she put him right in front of his own faults, he knew her judgments to be correct and valued her insights very much.

Of course she knew exactly what he was talking about because things had also been very hectic at home for Ron and Hermione now and then.

Hermione was never confiding too intimately to Harry about Ron but he was able to read between the lines. And they bickered. But then, they always had.

But now they were also going to find themselves kidless for most of the year and Harry wondered how they felt about it. He sure would try to talk about it with Hermione if she didn't start the subject herself.

As if he had read Harry's mind, Ron said :

"So, kids free, eh?"

Harry was taken out of his reverie.

"I guess... "

"Well Hermione's not complaining, she has wanted to write that book of hers for ages, now she finally gonna have time to really dive into it" said Ron.

Harry looked at his friend and nodded, taking another sip of butterbeer.

"Good for her" he said "It's going to be weird though, not having kids running and screaming around all the time" he smiled, full of nostalgy.

"Yeah, well I cannot say I'm not happy to get to see my wife a bit more often, alone, if you know what I mean" winked Ron.

Harry laughed. He knew exactly what Ron meant.

"Speaking of that, how are you and Hermione? I mean..." Harry asked tentatively.

He was not used to have lengthy emotional talks with Ron but he really liked their casual exchange over their lives.

"Well…" started Ron awkwardly, "It… it's… you know how she is sometimes, all bossy and all… well let's just say that the kids departing switched her bossy manners a bit..."

Harry was intrigued

"What do you mean?"

He saw Ron's ears turn a slight shade of pink

"I mean, she's… a bit… well…" Ron started again, clearly embarrassed.

"Go on, spit it already" Harry mocked.

"Okay, okay !" "She's become...naughty" Ron blurted out, his face red.

Harry burst out laughing.

But seeing Ron so embarrassed made him sober up, he wasn't used to Ron getting red in the face about this kind of things anymore.

After all, they often talked about sex, never really going into details. Ron just had this habit to joke about it all the time, sometimes not very subtly.

"Naughty, uh?" Harry repeated with a smirk "That must be interesting…" he added, smiling widely.

There was a time when he would have been mortified to speak about that kind of things. But now they were all adults, best friends and parents. They all had their own experience about intimate life and it didn't feel very embarrassing anymore.

"Yeah…" said Ron, still a bit pink in the face. "It is" he smiled, not meeting Harry's eyes.

"May I ask what kind of naughtiness we are referring to ?" Harry teased.

Ron got on his feet and started pacing, carefully trying to pick his words, it seemed. Harry certainly was not used to that coming from Ron.

"Well… she said she felt she was… "peaking", sexually" said Ron emphasizing the word "peaking" by quoting in the air.

Harry felt himself getting hot in the face, just a tiny bit.

"Oh? Well, that's good news isn't it ?" he asked tentatively.

"Oh yeah mate" Ron said excitedly, coming towards Harry again "It's great! I mean it's more than great, it's really amazing!"

Ron did look truly over excited about it. It made Harry smile.

"The thing is…" continued Ron, "She wants us to… experiment" Ron said half smiling half embarrassed. "Merlin, she would probably kill me if she knew I was talking about that to anyone" he continued.

"Come on Ron, you know nothing you say will come out of this room" Harry said, truthfully.

Ron looked at him straight in the eyes for a few seconds, apparently making sure Harry was sincere before going on :

"Okay, so, here it is : she wants us to consider using Polyjuice for sex" Ron blurted out.

Harry gaped at Ron, his eyes wide.

He managed to stutter : "Po...Polyjuice? What for?"

"Oh come on Harry, use your brains…" Ron answered looking at Harry as if he was a stupid schoolboy.

Harry leaned back into his armchair, feeling shocked and awed.

"Well… mate… this is… well, it's a bit difficult to take in" he said, a bit dumbstruck.

"Just let me make it clear: she wants you to take polyjuice for sex ? Meaning she wants you to look different?" he asked.

"Me, her, she's open, she said" Ron answered.

"Wow, just… Wow" Harry was lost for words.

"I know…" Ron continued "It's been a very weird conversation, that one." Ron confirmed before continuing, with a bit of passion in his words:

"But then, I thought, maybe it's weird and all, but then again, it's a sure way to get amazing sex either way!" he said excitedly. "I mean, either I'm looking like another bloke and she gets crazy because it feels new and all… Or, she's looking like another girl and Merlin… I'm not sure I can do that but I can't deny it does excite me quite a bit" Ron finished with a naughty grin on his face.

Harry looked at his friend, not really sure what to think. Because the subject itself was so strange.

He took a full minute in silence to process all that. Shock slowly gave room for open imagination… and curiosity.

But Ron cut across his reverie again. Clearly he had been waiting for Harry to say something and when the latter did not supply he continued :

"You know how sex can get after a while, I mean… with the same person. It's great and all but once you've been married for 20 years..."

"Yeah..." Harry nodded calmly.

They had talked about that with Ginny, several times, in their darkest hours as a couple. How to make desire more powerful again...

They had talked, without ever really meaning it, about trying it with other partners. But this did not feel okay for either of them at the time.

It did not prevent Harry for being an adult man with normal needs, nor Ginny as a woman. They both had confessed harmless flirts with others. Just for the purpose of feeling attractive to other people.

To be honest, it wasn't difficult. Ginny was simply gorgeous and men repeatedly turned around when she went by. And Harry… well let's just say that being the Chosen One, the saviour of the wizarding world, had its benefits. That and Auror regular physical training. So much as Harry hated to admit it, the women eyeing him now no longer embarrassed him. At least not when he wasn't with his wife.

He often enjoyed a little eye flirt with the ones that made him feel like a hormonal teenager again. But never more than an innocent flirt. Of course, the temptation of doing more than that had crossed his mind a few times over the course of his life. But he loved his wife too much to do anything like that.

Sometimes, his flirts extended to a kind of seductive exchange of words. But that was it. And he trusted it was the same for Ginny.

Actually they often talked about it, it kind of made the other just a tiny bit jealous, just enough to make him or her aware again of who they had at home. And it usually resulted in a glorious end in the bedroom.

But Polyjuice… Harry had to admit it had never even crossed his mind. And he felt stupid that he never even thought about it. Not doing it, no. Just knowing that it was a thing people could use for that purpose. And it opened a very wide range of possibilities in his mind… at least a wide range of possibilities for fantasy.

Ron was back in his armchair, drinking butterbeer in silence.

Harry sensed that he was supposed to say something.

"Well, if that works for you, I say… why not… I can't deny it seems strange but then, as you said, if it makes desire great again…"

"Cheers to that!" said Ron, clasping his butterbeer against Harry's with a wide smile.

"Whose hair would you use then?" asked Harry, curious.

"Well we haven't really discussed it yet." said Ron "Although she did mention a muggle bloke she saw in a bar last month with her muggle friends…" Ron continued, frowning a bit.

"And… she said she had a special request that she saved for later if it happened to work fine for the both of us…" Ron added.

"A special request ?" Harry asked.

"Yeah… I have no bloody clue about that one!" answered Ron.

"Maybe it's someone from her office or something?" suggested Harry.

"Not sure how I feel about that… I mean it's one thing to try it with stranger's hair, people we don't know and we just fancy but someone we know…" Ron frowned even more.

Harry briefly wondered about Hermione's choice. He imagined for a second roasting her to know more and how embarrassed she would be but quickly reminded himself he had promised Ron not to mention this conversation to anyone.

Yet, it was very strange to imagine Hermione suggesting that kind of plan. Sure she was an accomplished adult, Head of Justice department and mother, but knowing she was into sex that way aroused his curiosity.

Hermione sure was an attractive woman. Slender and glamour without trying to be. The best kind of glamour according to Harry. Throughout the course of the years his mind and dreams had once or twice led him in the realm of fantasy about her. First time was a real shock.

Of course this was very very private and he would never confide in anyone about it. It had happened a few times but Harry ended up accepting it. After all, dreams and fantasies existed for this kind of purpose. Innocent and (almost) guilt free thoughts about his best friend.

She had not been the only one to occasionally appear in his fantasies, and he never really felt guilty about it, because whatever he had said to Ron back then about Hermione being like his sister had not really changed.

It just seemed like his body and sleeping mind weren't aware of that.

"And did you choose yours yet?" he teased.

A shy smile spread on Ron's face.

"Not really, I have a few ideas of course…" he said hesitantly.

"Go on then !" said Harry with unsuppressed curiosity.

"Well there's this woman I've seen in diagon alley… she's cute, that one. She sells books at Flourish and Bott's…"

"Books?" laughed Harry "Well, we know the kind of woman you like at least!"

Ron joined Harry in laughing.

"Yeah, weird right? I mean, she's really cute Harry, you should see her, I went to Flourish to pick up a book for Hermione during my lunch break at the joke shop, and here she was, handing me the book, all blonde and pretty…"

Harry was still grinning.

"I swear I haven't seen such a nice cleavage in months!" Ron added, his eye sparkling.

Harry laughed again. This conversation with Ron sure was very unusual but also quite refreshing.

"Anyway, we haven't tried it yet, and I'm not sure it will work for us, so easy to get jealous and you know I have a hard time with that..." Ron added.

"No kidding?" laughed Harry "You jealous? I would know!" he mocked.

"Yeah yeah, you can laugh and all mate, but if this goes well, I can actually have amazing sex with my wife AND shag other women at the same time while really not doing it! I've always said Hermione was brilliant but this..." Ron said, awe in his voice.

They toasted again and cheered to that.

"Well, let me know how it goes..." said Harry with a wink.

"Sure mate !" answered Ron with a shy smile.


	2. Chapter 2 : Muggle mania

October was coming to an end, it had been two months since Lily had left for Hogwarts and a house without any kid was kind of sad.

At first, Harry and Ginny had really enjoyed it, being able to live without obligations besides work.

Of course, having a childfree house also meant that they had spent more time just the two of them than over the course of the last ten years. And this was both great and a bit complicated. After all this was almost novelty for them.

Since Lily had departed there had been blissful moments with Ginny, their reunion often ended up having sex at odd places in the house. And Harry sure loved that. It felt nice to change of the old habits they had fallen into. But he also resented the absence of his children.

The other good thing about not having the kids was that him and Ron often got out at night, they were used to see each other but not very often managed to do it without one or two kids in the house. And this sure changed their dynamic, they felt free to discuss and laugh about anything that was prohibited in front of the kids, it was like being a teenager all over again. He had the feeling that his complicity with Ron was better than ever. The two of them often came back home late after spending the night in a pub, sometimes meeting Dean and Seamus and Neville, sometimes just the two of them.

Ron had never talked about that Polyjuice business again and Harry had not asked.

Truth be told, he had had fantasy about doing it with Ginny ever since that conversation with Ron but was not sure he would ever want or dare to suggest it. He knew Ginny always wondered about sex with another man, but he wasn't sure he had enough self-confidence to imagine suggesting impersonating someone for her someday.

At the same time, he was only just truly reconnecting with his wife and thought it was best to save it for later, when the novelty of being just the two of them may fade and when he was sure as hell that he really could provide for what he was offering. Self-confidence was one thing but really changing into another man must feel really strange.

It was one of those nights, Ron and Harry were about to go out for a drink -Hermione was working late- and Ginny was about to leave for Quidditch practice.

The two men were in Harry's kitchen discussing about where they might end up that night when Ginny came in, fully dressed in Quidditch gear.

"Hey Ron!" she said smiling "The two of you are getting out again?"

"Hey sis! Yeah, we were thinking about trying a new pub, a muggle one that Hermione likes so much"

"A muggle pub?" asked Ginny, intrigued "What for? I always thought you hated the muggle drinks Ron!" she glanced at Harry for answer.

"Don't ask me! Ron's being all mysterious about that pub… it's only Hermione that usually spends time in Muggle London!" Harry answered truthfully.

"Yeah well, you'll see soon enough" said Ron mysteriously.

"Oh guys, please don't get into any trouble…" Ginny said, a bit concerned.

"Don't worry" said Ron with confidence, "Harry and I can take care of ourselves".

"Yeah but… you being so mysterious is creeping me out a bit" Ginny said, cringing.

"I said don't worry sis, I'll keep an eye on Harry" said Ron.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you've better! Anyway, I've got to go, have a nice night out! And Harry…"

Ginny leaned towards him and planted a soft kiss on his lips before murmuring in his ear : "Be good my love, don't forget who you've got at home…"

And with that, she disapparated in a soft "pop".

Harry was used to these cute warnings from Ginny. It was a kind of game between them when either was going out to have fun. He smiled to himself. She knew he might have an innocent flirt with a woman tonight, and she was okay with it, as long as it stayed innocent. More often than others that resulted in growing sexual arousal for Ginny, to know that so many women wanted him and that he was just hers.

But Harry didn't usually flirt with women when Ron was around.

"Ready?" asked Ron the moment Ginny had left.

Harry nodded and took Ron's arm to let him apparate them to that mysterious pub.

They landed in a backway alley in the center of muggle London and made their way toward the main street and the entry of a medium sized pub.

It was clearly full of muggles since it was Friday night, everyone was enjoying their first weekend night out.

Harry noticed Ron perusing the crowd, frowning. He clearly wasn't used to see so many muggles.

They quickly found two available stools by the bar and settled there. Harry started to order two beers, but Ron cut across him.

"What's the strongest drink you mugg… you have?" he asked the bartender

"Single pure malt whiskey, sir" answered the young muggle bartender

"Two whiskeys then, please" Ron ordered.

Harry looked at Ron, surprised

"Okay, so I get it that you want to get drunk tonight?" asked Harry, a grin on his face.

"Not really, I just need something strong for what I'm about to do..." answered Ron.

"Which is?" asked Harry suddenly worried.

"Which is… getting something" answered Ron, draining his glass in one sip.

"Getting what?"

"Well, stealing it more likely…." added Ron.

Harry was getting slightly worried now.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked Ron.

"Remember in September, when I told you about that Polyjuice business?" said Ron

"Sure!" answered Harry, surprised.

"Well tonight's the night!" said Ron, resolute.

Harry was a bit taken aback and didn't fully understand.

"The night for….?" he started to ask.

"The night we try it, the night I have a job to do, and hopefully a fantastic reward from Hermione" answered Ron, excitement growing in his eyes.

"Would you mind clarifying exactly why you wanted to come to that particular pub tonight?" asked Harry, starting to guess where this was going.

Ron simply pointed at a far corner of the pub where a man and a woman were having a drink at a table. It was clearly a date, seeing how they were interacting.

The woman was blonde and pretty, a bit younger than Ron and Harry, wearing a sexy dress. The man was around their age, dressed in a black suit, probably just out of work. He was quite good looking and had jet-black hair like Harry. He looked tall and well built.

"You mean…? You mean what exactly?" asked Harry, who wanted to make sure he had understood Ron right.

"Well, you remember Hermione wanted to try it with a bloke from a muggle pub? Well this is it, that's him." Ron said simply pointing at the man again.

"Wow… okay… So, let me get this straight" Harry started, "You took me here to help you get a hair from that poor bloke?"

"Yep" answered Ron flatly, ordering another whiskey to the bartender by gesture.

Harry took his whiskey and drained it in one sip, as Ron had done just moments ago.

So, he was going to be a part of Ron and Hermione little experiment, whether he liked it or not. Ron just made sure of that. But the whiskey in Harry gave him some courage, some boldness more likely. And he suddenly started to think this was going to be a very funny evening for him.

"So…" Harry started again after he had settled down on this sentiment, "How do you want to do it?"

"Well I can't just bloody hex the guy, can I?" asked Ron.

"No, you can't" confirmed Harry.

Muggle hexing was strictly forbidden and Harry, as Head of Aurors department was not one to be lenient about it, ever.

"Hermione had a strategy…" Ron started in a low voice. "See, we came here together and watched the guy for a couple of nights before we decided into it. And well, let's say that guy goes from girl to girl, never alone, that one" Ron smirked.

"So, Hermione reckon the only way to get him on his own is to drag him away from whatever girl he brought with him"

"And exactly how do you want to do that?" asked Harry, his eyes narrowed.

"Well, my friend, this is when you should probably drink that second whiskey…" "Because, that's your job. Get the girl busy." Ron said with another smirk.

"Wait WHAT?" blurted Harry.

"Oh, come on Harry, like you wouldn't fancy a little authorized fling! And look at her! She's hot!" Ron winked at Harry.

"Don't worry I won't tell Gin… I mean you don't have to do much, just use that Harry Potter stuff on her and charm her!" Ron explained.

"Ron! These are muggles! That Harry Potter stuff, like you said, wouldn't work on her! She doesn't know me and clearly she really likes that muggle!" Harry added, glancing at the woman who was evidently showing off her cleavage to her companion.

"And furthermore, I have to ask, did Hermione ask you to make me do that?"

"What? No! Of course not! She was never that specific! I've never told her you knew about that Polyjuice stuff… mind you...No, she told me to get a friend to that pub and make him occupy the girl, freestyle you know…"

"Freestyle? That's not a very Hermione thing to say" Harry laughed.

"Yeah well, we were more preoccupied by how I would get the hair than how we would get the girl out how the way.

So, she suggested that I just start a conversation with the guy once the girl is out of the way and simply get a hair from his jacket" explained Ron.

"So, will you help me or not? If not, I might as well call Dean in, I'm sure he would do that for me…" added Ron.

Harry took it as a personal insult that Ron thought Dean would be a better candidate than himself.

"Of for fucks sake… I'll do it" capitulated Harry emptying his second glass of whiskey.

Ron's smile was wide.

The opportunity to take their plan into action occurred not long after that when the guy excused himself and went to the bathroom.

This is it... go on, you're doing it for your friends…

Harry stood up and slowly walked towards the table where the girl was sitting, her phone in her hands. Muggles and their phones… he would never understand the passion.

Harry shot a last glance at Ron, watching him from the bar and giving him the thumbs up, before clearing his throat.

"Hi!" he said, his voice hoarse from the whiskey.

She looked up and smiled at him. "Hi!"

She was indeed very pretty Harry had to admit. It wasn't hard to imagine flirting with her on normal circumstances.

"I'm Harry, do you mind if I get you a drink?" he asked.

"Thanks, but I'm not alone here tonight" she answered.

"I noticed that" conceded Harry, getting closer, "but I thought It was worth a shot anyway"

"You did, did you?" answered the girl with a smile.

Harry knew he had only minutes to make this work before her date would return.

Just when he was about to give up and call it a poor performance the girl spoke.

She eyed Harry up and down and said, "I'm Josephine", and extended her hand. Harry shook it.

"So, you were watching me ?" she asked with a lure.

Harry jumped in.

"Well, you are stunning, if I can be honest with you…" he said seductively.

The woman giggled, and as she did so she leaned a bit on the table and Harry had a clear view of her cleavage.

Pretty face. Very nice cleavage…

"Do you mind if I sit with you for a minute? I promise I will leave when your date comes back… If you want me to…" said Harry, looking at her deep in the eyes.

He knew the look had done it before she answered.

"Sure, Harry, sit down… what are you doing in this pub anyway?" she asked.

"Well Josephine, this is a trick question, right now I'm looking at you and thinking I haven't seen a woman so gorgeous in a very long time" he said as he sat next to her, in the guy's chair.

It was really forward and lame, Harry knew it, but he didn't have much time to find something smarter. And it did kind of work on her because she giggled again.

As Harry sat there watching her giggling he suddenly realised that he was half sitting on the guy's coat.

"So, this date of yours, is he… like a lover?" asked Harry.

"No…not yet" she answered seductively.

The woman was clearly looking for sex tonight as far as Harry could tell. He was a bit taken aback by the seductive look she threw him. He shot a glance at the bathroom door to make sure he still had time to win her over. But at the same time, he noticed what Ron and himself had been coming for, a hair, a dark hair right there, on the jacket behind him. Harry pocketed it discreetly. "Mischief managed" he thought with an inner smile.

"I see I'm leaving you speechless Harry, shame, I liked the sound of your voice" Josephine resumed with glinting eyes.

"But my date is coming back so I'll just give you this and hope to hear from you again" she said, handing him a piece of paper under the table and caressing his hand in the process.

Harry pocketed the paper, which, he was sure contained her phone number and got up, winking at her, before going back to Ron at the bar.

Harry exhaled deeply as he sat down by Ron.

"Here, you stupid prick!" he hissed at Ron, handing him the hair that was in his pocket.

"What! You got it? Harry! Well done mate! I thought you'd never come back seeing the looks she was throwing at you" said Ron with a smirk.

"Yeah well, I think she liked me, look…." he showed Ron the piece of paper.

"Phone number?" asked Ron "Harry, you are one lucky bastard. Too bad you couldn't get a hair from her too, I kinda like her" said Ron laughing.

Harry rolled his eyes at Ron "What about a thank you mate?" he said reproachfully

"Yeah, sure, thank you Harry… I can't believe you just did that for us… Hermione is going to be wild" added Ron with a look full of lust and handing Harry a beer.

Exactly how wild Hermione could get from having a chance to sleep with the handsome dark-haired guy, Harry wondered secretly.

"Anyway, I'm going to keep that" said Ron, pocketing the phone number "I don't want Ginny to kill me… By the way, please don't mention any of this to her Harry" Ron added seriously.

"As if I would" said Harry, rolling his eyes and watching the phone number disappear in Ron's pocket with some bitterness.

Not that he would have used it anyway, but he had gained it. And most importantly, he had gained it by being just Harry, not famous Harry Potter. And that was a new experience for him. He felt kind of empowered as a man by it.

Still he didn't like the idea of Ginny knowing that Ron had sent him hitting on some woman in a pub. Imagine the Weasley tantrum. No thanks…

But as for the Polyjuice bit, Harry still didn't know if he wanted to tell Ginny someday. She was a wild woman sometimes, often prompt to suggest sex and new things to Harry. She probably would get very excited about the idea of Polyjuice. Then again, Harry would rather save that suggestion for when he was ready to live upon it.

Shortly after all that, Ron told him that he had to go home, while pointing at his pocket (containing the hair) and winking madly at Harry who just laughed and tried not to let his mind drive over Hermione having sex with anyone at all.

This proved to be difficult tonight. Harry couldn't help but notice that the man they had stolen the hair from made him think of someone actually.

Me.

True, the guy had no glasses and was taller than harry, but otherwise they had the same kind of build and the very same haircut and colour.

Harry was a bit surprised that Ron hadn't spotted that out, so he thought it was probably just his imagination.

Once Ron had left to disapparate in the back alley, Harry was left alone at the bar to finish his beer.

Too lost in his thoughts he didn't notice that someone had just sat on Ron's vacant stool, until a suave voice said, "Hey Harry". Harry spurted some of his butterbeer down his chin as he quickly looked up to see Josephine looking at him.

He had not seen that coming.

He turned around and saw that her date had left. And yet here she was, still at the pub and now sitting right next to him.

"Hey Josephine" he smiled, a little tensed.

Now that he really thought about it, it was not very nice of him to have done that to her. Hitting on her for a purpose. And it was certainly very questionable to use someone's hair for sex. Invasion of privacy at its finest…

"I was about to leave the pub, Daniel's went to get his car, I just have a minute, but I wanted to say goodbye."

So, Daniel, he's called

"Have a lovely evening then, Josephine" Harry simply said.

She eyed him strangely before saying: "Weird actually, I just realized, you really do look a lot like Daniel… Anyway… see you soon, I hope, Harry" she winked and kissed his cheek and was off.

Harry stayed at the bar a few more minutes, just pondering on what Josephine had just said. It wasn't his imagination after all, he did look a lot like this muggle.

Weird.

He imagined Ron had turned to Daniel by now…. And Hermione was probably getting "wild" about it.

Despite himself he had a vivid image forming in his head: a man, not unlike himself, with dark hair, and Hermione with a look he had never seen in her eyes : pure lust.

He shook his head and finished his last drop of butterbeer before leaving the pub and disappearing from the back alley.


	3. Chapter 3 : Around the counter

Here we go for chapter three ! I had a lot of fun writing this one, hope you like it ;)

oooOooo

"How was your night?" asked Ginny once Harry had got home and was quietly reading a book about Dark Arts in the couch.

"Hey! you're back!" he said, making room for her to snuggle next to him.

"It was… nice." Harry answered simply. "What about practice?" he asked, not keen on pressing the subject.

"Fantastic! Harry, this is a serious team I have, I love them! They really stand a chance in the tournament, this is very exciting!" she answered happily.

Ginny trained a team of 7 Quidditch players, all between 17 and 20 years old, all of them very good Quidditch players during their Hogwarts time.

Harry kissed her forehead as she snuggled closer to him.

"Well done Gin, I know you had a hard time picking the team members, but it seems like you did it right!"

"Yeah, hail me!" laughed Ginny, proudly.

"So, what about you, how was it at the muggle pub? anything I should know of?" she asked eyeing him with suspicious look. Harry knew what she meant immediately.

"Well, I won't lie to you, there was a woman who kind of flirted with me…" Harry confessed.

"Oh really? She did? A muggle woman Harry?" asked Ginny narrowing her eyes but looking amused at the same time. "She flirted with you? not the other way around?" asked Ginny.

"Oh, you know flirt, it's a kind of both way thing…" Harry answered with a seductive look at his wife.

"You cocky Harry!" Ginny said, half mad, half seduced.

"How was she?" she asked.

"Well… blonde, pretty face… very nice cleavage…" started Harry in a provocative tone.

At his last words Ginny simply took his book to punch him in the knees with it.

Harry burst out laughing

"Come on Gin, you know how it is, just a little flirt, nothing more, never." Harry said, reassuringly.

"Yeah well, if you start to charm muggles now… you're just such a charmer…" she said in a mocking voice.

All in all, that evening had been interesting. Helping Ron, hitting on a woman with success, coming back home and get into Ginny's arms knowing she was okay with it. Imagining Hermione with a guy looking like him… Well that last part had to stay very well hidden.

Harry was a bit curious about how he would find his two best friends the following day for their friendly saturday night reunion after the events of tonight. He swore to himself that he would not smirk at Ron.

Well no too much anyway he thought with an inner laugh before falling asleep.

The next morning started very pleasantly with Ginny waking Harry up in a very nice way. It had been a while since she had done that. When she crept under the covers and covered his stomach in kisses, he just awoke slightly, but then her intentions became clear and Harry wholy awoke, realizing he was already in erection. He just encouraged her to continue, smiling, caressing her back, his eyes still closed.

A few seconds later she was all around his member working her magic.

Harry really let go of any thought he might have had, quickly starting to pant and lifting his hips towards her. She understood how much he was enjoying it, it seemed, because her rhythm increased and Harry saw stars. He gently tangled his callous hands in her long, soft, flowery scenting red hair and let a moan escape his throat.

He heard her giggle down there, clearly very happy that her moves had so much effect on him.

He could feel the softness of her tongue, the heat of her mouth, the wetness sliding up and down. It was bliss...

And soon it was over, he gently lift her head from him, sensing his release coming. She caught the idea and placed her hand around him instead and helped him finish that way, watching him deep in the eyes as he came on his own stomach.

With a last deep moan, his whole body relaxed, his head went back on the pillow, his eyes closed and he felt Ginny coming back to his side.

"Well, good morning Ginny" he said smiling widely.

"Good morning to you" she replied, wiping her mouth on her hand before smiling at him.

"That was a fantastic way to wake up" he added in a small laugh.

"I thought you might enjoy it" she teased, coming to snuggle next to him.

He had a feeling that his confession about the previous evening had something to do about this delicious wake up. It had worked that way with Ginny lately.

They stayed in bed for a while, one of the benefits of not having any kids at home, before getting up.

The day went by with the two of them shopping in Diagon Alley for Albus, who needed new robes since he had been getting so tall since september.

Ginny also wanted to peruse Flourish and Bott's Daily Prophet archives for work so Harry just waited for her, looking at books.

He finally set up his eyes on a novel that he thought Hermione might really enjoy. It was a fiction about a MuggleBorn girl who entered the world of wizardry. He thought she might find some old memories in it and went to the counter to pay for it.

Just as he was taking galeons out of his pocket, the person before him in the line left and he looked up. Behind the counter was a woman, blonde hair, quite pretty, with prominent breasts under her simple shirt. Harry fought a laugh. He had an inkling that it was the woman Ron had talked about. But today, he wasn't going to steal any hair. Let Ron and Hermione deal with their own little experiment. He paid his book and went to have lunch with his wife.

By the end of the day, Ginny and him disapparated to Ron and Hermione's house for dinner.

They apparated just outside their door. Ron opened it almost immediately. And what a sight it was. Ron was glowing. Simply, glowing. Harry hardly suppressed a laugh at seeing his friend looking so happy and satisfied. It seemed like the past evening had gone well for Ron and Hermione...

"You sure look happy !" Ginny told Ron looking at him suspiciously.

"Sure ! I'm happy Sis' cause it's saturday and we are about to have dinner together" he answered, letting them in.

Ginny still looked at her brother suspiciously but Harry's eyes were looking for Hermione.

And they found her, smiling and welcoming them into her house. She sure looked a bit more cheerful than usual but there seemed to be something else in her eyes when she looked at Harry. He shot her an inquisitive look but she just went and hugged Ginny before smiling at him and hugging him too.

They all opened Butterbeers and sat in the couches, catching up on their week work and on news of the kids.

After dinner, Ron and Ginny decided to listen to the Quidditch match taking place that same evening. They left for the living room and turned on the radio. Harry listened with them for a while but the match was not very interesting and it had been a while since he had seen Hermione at all. So he decided to go and help her in the kitchen were she was doing who know what.

"I'm just gonna see Hermione" he told the other two.

They were so immersed in the game that they didn't really listen. Harry shrugged he went to find Hermione.

He entered the kitchen and found her, bending over the rack of bottles below the counter.

"Hey" he announced himself.

"What! Ouch!" Hermione, clearly surprised, had just banged her head on the counter.

"Harry! You surprised me!"

"Sorry", he apologized, "are you okay?"

"Sure, sure" she answered, massaging her head where it had been hurt."I was just looking for that wine bottle my parents sent me for my birthday. Here it is! Saint-Joseph, a powerful red wine. Fancy a taste?"

"Oh yeah, absolutely" Harry answered, reading the tag on the bottle. "We should share that though, with Ron and Ginny" he added.

"Sure, we will" she winked at Harry, while opening the bottle.

Harry let out a laugh. Classic Hermione, she had taken a certain interest in wine for a while now and always had good bottles at home. Harry really liked wine, a taste he shared with Hermione, but not so much with Ron and Ginny who were more attracted to Butterbeer and, occasionally, Firewhiskey.

Hermione poured them both glasses of wine and for a moment they just looked at their glasses, watching the colour, smelling the scents before finally tasting it in silence.

"Well, your parents surely know about muggle wine, this is amazing" Harry said, the taste still in his mouth.

Hermione nodded.

"I like that red berries taste" she added.

They both put their glasses down and looked at each other intently. There it was, that strange look in her eyes he had seen arriving earlier. Hermione started to blush and looked away.

"Are you okay Hermione ?" he asked, concerned "only you have a strange look on your face and I feel like I'm causing it? Did I do something wrong?"

"What? No of course not Harry… It's just been a while since I last saw you, we hardly ever see each other at the ministry, I'm just glad you're here" she explained, smiling naturally at him now.

"Well, it HAS been a while" conceded Harry "I feel like you're always working"

"That's not true !" she rebelled, "We often go out together the lot of us !"

"Yeah, you're right, but it seems to me we haven't seen each other, only the two of us for a long time, and well, frankly, I miss it. We should go back to our habit to take thursday lunch together at work, I can't even remember why we stopped" Harry said

"I miss you too Harry! But that's what happens when you marry inside your friend group" she laughed "it's harder to find moments face to face! Anyway, I'm all up for thursday lunch with you" she said, smiling.

Harry nodded and they just both stared at each other, right in the eyes and he tried to convey to her how much he had missed her. He saw her blushing again.

"Anyway" he started again "Who am I going to confide in if you are not around ?" he asked her, smiling.

"That, is a good question mister !" she laughed.

"So what's new ? I know all about work and kids already so tell me something else" she said eyeing him intently, her elbows on the counter.

Was she flirting ? Harry couldn't really imagine Hermione doing that sort of thing with him. All the same, she seemed a bit tipsy with all the butterbeers and the wine. Harry blinked several times to reboot his mind.

What is wrong with me?

"Well, not much novelties in the Potter house since the kids left… it has been quiet, a bit too quiet if you ask me" he told her, trying to lead his thoughts on normal conversation again.

She sent him an amused look, a knowing look.

"Not so quiet according to Ginny" she said in a low, teasing voice.

Shit. What?

Harry knew Ginny often confided in Hermione about their life, but never, ever, had Hermione used that against Harry. Or even let him understand she knew anything intimate about them. But this time Harry realized she knew stuff. Probably loads. It was his turn to blush a little.

He recomposed himself quickly though, pouring them another glass of wine and smirking at Hermione.

"Well I guess Ginny talks too much" he said coolly.

"We sure talk about all kind of topics..." agreed Hermione, still smiling at him in that strange and knowing way. Harry was just too curious about it.

"Okay, shoot. What did she say ?"

"Oh no, that's between Ginny and I" Hermione mocked him.

"Oh really" Harry rebelled, half laughing "Then maybe I should talk to Ron more about all kind of TOPICS too !" he emphasized the word on purpose to make her blush. And he was satisfied to see he had succeeded.

"Okay Harry, you win." Hermione laughed "Anyway, it's nothing in particular, she just told me that things had been quite… steamy... between you two...since the kids left, in… some… details..."

Oh god.

Had Ginny told Hermione of all their sexy times? had she told him about the time Harry took Ginny hard on the kitchen counter? Or did she tell Hermione about the time he had spread his wife's legs wide and gone down on her while Neville and Hannah were waiting for them in the living room? Harry blushed hard.

Hermione seemed to see his discomfort.

"Relax Harry, I'm just happy to know that the two of you are back on track" she said, sincerely.

"Well, we are. Though I'm not sure what you mean by all that". Playing innocent was sometimes a good strategy.

Hermione cleared her throat.

"Well, if you must know, I'm glad that you have a solid kitchen counter. And an unsonorised living room" she smirked.

Okay fuck it. She knows. All of it.

Harry felt a bit destabilized. Hermione and him had never gotten into so much details about sex. He decided he would get the better of her. That was just pure pride, and maybe just a bit of provocation. He leaned on the counter too, shot Hermione a provocative look, inhaled deeply and said, in a deep profound voice :

"Well, what can I say Hermione I'm in good health, and love to fuck hard on top of kitchen counters"

She blushed madly and retreated from the counter at once. Clearly not expecting that at all.

Satisfied, Harry added :

"And I also love to go down on someone while others are just next door, makes me rock hard instantly".

"For fucks sake Harry !" she cried, shocked, her eyes wide, her cheeks a deep shade of red.

Harry burst out laughing "You deserved that, with all those implied stuff Hermione !"

"Well" she started in a small embarrassed voice, "there sure weren't any implied stuff left in what YOU said" and she drained her wine in one sip.

Harry laughed harder. After a few seconds she joined in. It took them almost a minute to calm down. Harry filled their glasses again. The bottle was going down rapidly.

He suddenly remembered that he had a gift for Hermione.

He reached inside his jacket pocket and took out the book he had bought for her.

Hermione was touched by the gift. But mostly, Harry thought, because it was such a good change of subject. He let her get comfortable again and listened to her chatter about what she had read about the book in a newspaper.

When she looked comfortable again, she leaned back on the counter and took another sip of wine.

Harry looked into her eyes and he saw she was herself again.

He chose that moment to lean on the counter too, facing her. He felt an urge to see her blushing again. Feeling she deserved it for her implied talk about him and Ginny, he said in a very low voice full of implication :

"That sure is a nice kitchen counter"

She did not have the direct reaction he was waiting for, at all. As he had said the words, she had looked at him in the eyes. She slowly looked down, at the counter, for a few seconds and up again, right in his eyes.

This took him off guard. Knowing Hermione, he had expected her to jump back, even maybe hex him for being so provocative but certainly not for her to watch him like she was now. Eyes glinting, her lips slightly parted, she slowly lowered her gaze towards his lips and up again to his eyes. The overall picture was very intense. Indeed, in a horrific realization, Harry got aware that he was getting hard. Rock hard.

Well this is a first.

Mortified, he tried to concentrate on not letting any of his feelings show. He certainly had not seen that coming. His provocation just backfired to his face, and whole body to be exact.

He retreated from the counter, uncomfortably clearing his throat. This was new. Very very new.

At last, Hermione moved, leaning back on the wall instead ot the counter, and looking at the ceiling. Surely it must have taken her more time to understand the implication of his words. Probably because of the wine, Harry thought. After all, Hermione was usually quick at understanding things.

Harry was still a bit distressed, mainly because he felt he was still quite hard and because he was certainly short with words. He didn't move, too aware of his body to take the risk of Hermione noticing it. That would be even more embarrassing.

Even as he tried to relax and say something smart to take them out of this awkward situation, Hermione broke the silence.

"Well, thank you for the book, Harry". She said, her voice very feeble.

"You're welcome" he managed, in a hoarse voice.

"What about we go and find the others ?" she suggested.

"Yeah sure" Harry answered, feeling his erection slowly growing down.

He was not entirely sure it was safe for him to move yet, without being noticed but he obliged, and Hermione was careful not to look at him again.

Once they had joined Ron and Ginny in the last minutes of the Quidditch match, it was easy to lay low on the couch and not speak at all.

Harry thought about what had just happened. He couldn't deny that he had crossed a line. He felt stupid about doing it. He really thought that was just innocent provocation and had imagined the look of horror on Hermione's face. The one he thought she would have. But she had not. She had looked at him in a whole new way. He'd never seen that look. Maybe he had imagined it in some wild dreams years ago but never before had it happened for real. Was it lust he'd seen in there ? And had he imagined her watching his lips? He could still see her face in his head. Eyes glinting, lips parted. He felt his body react again and shook the image off his mind.

What the fuck is going on ?

He had imagined this night at Ron and Hermione to be just fun. Yet he was now quite confused.

He managed to put it on the side of his mind for a while nevertheless when Ron suggested he and Harry should just go out for a smoke. They didn't smoke pot very often, but when they did, it was always a relaxing moment, just with Ron, like best mates can sometimes share bad habits.

So he went outside with Ron, they settled by the shed in the old metal chairs that Hermione loved so much and smoked a joint together.

When Harry didn't bring the subject of their last night, Ron was surprised.

"I thought you would ask me about last night mate!" said Ron, taking a long puff.

Actually Harry had intended to, initially. But then Hermione had taken it all out of his mind.

"So…" he started, hesitant, "Did you do it ? Did you turn into Daniel and did it?" he asked.

"Who the bloody hell is Daniel?" asked Ron, handing the joint to Harry.

"The muggle whose hair you made me get for you" answered Harry, a little annoyed.

"Oh, I didn't catch his name… anyway. Yeah, we did it" said Ron, coolly.

Harry was both impressed and a bit annoyed at Ron's confidence. He took a puff on the joint.

"Well, how did it go then?" asked Harry.

"Mate… It was crazy. I wasn't sure I could play that off you know… But then, I came back from the pub, with the hair, and she was waiting for me, I mean… waiting for me like she was on fire." Ron laughed, his face full of awe.

"She just looked at me, doing that funny and sexy thing she does with her lips…"

Harry had a very vivid idea of what Ron was talking about…

"And… well I just knew I had to go all the way now. There was no turning back, she was well to much into it for that. I would just had been a coward to turn my back on her at that moment" Ron explained.

"So I just put the damn hair in the potion and drained it! I swear she shot me a look I hadn't seen in years when I swallowed the bloody potion..." Ron smirked.

"And mate… I turned in that muggle alright, and she was all shy and horny!"

Harry was hung to Ron's word despite of himself. It felt like intruding on Hermione's intimacy and Harry knew, deep down he should not listen but Ron was so willingly sharing…

Against his better judgment he asked what he really wanted to know.

"Did she like it then? Did she, you know, enjoyed being with that muggle?"

"Well technically, it was still me, but my body and even my voice had changed, really weird stuff… Of course I had already taken Polyjuice before so I knew the feeling. But stripping up sure felt weird as hell." Ron added.

"But then… well, let's just say, it felt like Hermione was a brand new girl to me too…" Ron finished with a sheepish smile.

Harry understood that Ron had finished his tale and was not going to ask for more details. He felt safe to ask one more question though:

"So, will you do it again then?"

"Yeah, definitely. I mean, I guess… with the right hair. It sure was an amazing moment to feel like she was so attracted to me again, like it was our first time…"

Harry slouched back on his chair and took a very long puff before handing the joint to Ron.

He was starting to feel the effect of pot on his body and mind. He felt oddly relaxed and at peace with what he had just heard. Images flashed across his mind, of Hermione and that look she gave him earlier, of Hermione and a jet-black haired man, engaged in a passionate kiss. The pot was probably clouding his judgment but at that moment he just sat there and enjoyed in silence his thoughts. With Ron at his side, his best friend. Hermione's husband. Should he feel guilty? Probably. But not now.


	4. Chapter 4 : Sharing

It was only the next day, after Harry had taken his solo breakfast (Ginny being at practice again) that he thought about all the events of the previous night again.

He felt a bit confused. Last night he had thought Hermione was flirting but now he wasn't sure about all that anymore. Maybe he had simply imagined it, from the wine and their weird conversation. And the fact that he had willingly provoked her just to watch her blush again. He did wonder why he had wanted to see her blush so much. But once again, he managed to put these thoughts out of his mind. He had more pressing matters to take into his hands, six Auror applications he needed to review were sitting on his desk. So he buried his head into work.

Monday and tuesday came and went. On wednesday he and Ginny decided to go out for dinner. It was a pleasant evening with the two of them enjoying some time outside the house. He had decided against saying anything about the fact that Ginny had shared so much with Hermione.

Clearly she had been enthusiastic about it all, that meant she was happy by the way things were going between them, so he didn't want to ruin that for her.

They had had sex twice already this week. Which was a record for them since a few months. And Harry was enjoying it greatly too.

Yesterday, he had lured Ginny into his office under the false pretence of discussing paint color for the walls before pushing her against the wall and kissing her everywhere. She sure had loved it, to be surprised like that, because she had returned the kisses fiercely. And they had had sex on Harry's office floor. Twice.

She had been surprised about Harry being ready twice in a row, seeing as it had not happened, and not been tried for so long. Truth be told, he had used several mental images to make him hard again. And it had worked marvelously. The images in question, he decided, were not important, what mattered was the result.

But it was Ginny who brought out the subject again.

"So, Hermione told me she might have let slip a few of my confessions, to you... " she started, carefully.

"Oh really?" teased Harry.

"Yes, really" answered Ginny in mocking voice. "She was not proud about it. I just never imagined the two of you discussing such subjects…" she continued slowly.

"Well, to be honest, we never had. And well, she didn't say anything I didn't know already… I was with you, if you recall..." snorted Harry.

"So you don't mind I told her? It was not awkward ? Because she's my friend and I love to be able to tell her this kind of things, but if you are uneasy about it..." Ginny said awkwardly.

"No Gin, honestly, it's fine. I know you are very close to Hermione, I can't go against that in any way" Harry reassured her, not really knowing why he was doing it.

"Yeah but she's your friend too…"

"Sure… but I have other friends. Besides, I don't really discuss that kind of things with Hermione anyway, so let's just say that it's your field with her!" he suggested.

"All right. I keep the kinky Hermione for myself!" joked Ginny.

Harry suddenly wondered if those confessions went both way and couldn't stop himself from asking:

"So does she tell you kinky stuff she does as well?"

"What? oh no, urgh Harry ! I mean, I'd love to! But this is my brother I'm going to think about if she does. That can not happen, Not at all." Ginny answered with an air of disgust. "She does talk about sex a bit though, in a non personal way" Ginny clarified.

"Really?" asked Harry, curious.

"Well, you know, just as long as she doesn't drag my brother's name into it, I'm all up for sharing" and she winked at Harry.

So Hermione did confide in Ginny too. Differently, but she did. Harry wondered if Ginny might know about the Polyjuice business after all… He decided on a bold question :

"So is there anything juicy you might want to share with me? I mean, it's only fair, she knows stuff about us..."

"Haha Harry..." Ginny chuckled, "I'm sure you can ask Ron… we agreed I was the one to have kinky Hermione!"

And so he dropped the subject. Either Ginny knew nothing of the Polyjuice business, or she wasn't interested (or ready) to discuss it with Harry.

"I saw Dean yesterday" said Ginny, changing the topic, "Have you seen him recently?"

Harry tried to remember. Dean worked at the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Harry occasionally saw him at work.

"Two weeks ago I guess, how is he?" he asked.

"Broken up." Ginny said simply.

"How come?" asked Harry. He knew Dean had been dating Ariana Zabini, a Slytherin that used to be in 4th year when Harry left Hogwarts.

"Well, apparently, and to use his own words : _she was gorgeous but a bit crazy_ " explained Ginny, amused.

So, Dean was single again. Harry did see Dean at work or in pubs regularly, they were actually pretty good pals and he knew Dean enjoyed going from girl to girl, never really settling down with any of them.

But he had thought maybe this one was the one. Harry watched Ginny intently. She did have her own past with Dean, Harry knew for sure, since he had witnessed some of it at the time.

It was at the same time that he had realized his feelings for her and he had to admit that he was quite jealous of Dean back then.

When Harry and Ginny finally got together, Ginny admitted that she had experimented some things with him.

She had not slept with Dean, thankfully, but she sure had already experimented oral sex with him.

Harry remembered feeling very insecure and jealous about it at the time.

But then, he had soon realized, this meant Ginny knew quite a bit more than he did about sex and she was clearly ready to keep experimenting, with Harry this time.

And that, he admitted, had been more than fine with him.

So their short period together at Hogwarts had been rythmed by secret escapes by the lake, in secluded corners, and Harry had discovered the extent of Ginny's knowledge and abilities about making out and soon, oral sex.

Harry had quickly caught on, he remembered with a jolt of nostalgy.

But it wasn't until after the War that they actually had sex for the first time.

If it weren't for Dumbledore death and Harry having to leave Hogwarts to get the Horcruxes, he would not have broken up with Ginny back then. And they sure felt ready to have sex before Harry had to leave.

His heart constricted, Harry remembered walking towards Voldemort, thinking of Ginny, her hair, her mouth on his, his hands on her… at the very last minute of his life, he had wished they had taken the chance to make love before he died.

So when Voldemort was defeated, after a few weeks of a very strange mixture of mourning the dead and celebrating the end of the war, they had had sex at last.

Harry remembered with emotion how amazed he had been the first time.

It had happened at Hogwarts, of course. In july.

All volunteers were accepted back then to help fix the Castle and Harry and Ginny soon started meeting in the room of requirements at nights to catch up time, just the two of them. And of course, they were full of desire for each other, so it didn't take more than a few nights for them to go from heated kisses to making love.

It was the first time since the victory and probably since Dumbledore's death, that he had felt truly alive. Ginny had been fantastic: not scared - they knew each other's body quite a bit already and were in love - she didn't suffer much when he had entered her and she very quickly started to enjoy it.

Harry remembered the feel of Ginny under him, her pretty face, her perfect breasts, the softness, tightness and wetness that had surrounded him, his eyes rolling in his head, his whole body awake, his mind shutting down. Blissful oblivion.

And sex had become a sort of therapy for them back then. Whenever Harry or Ginny felt overwhelmed by grief or awful memories, they made love and every other emotion went away for a while.

It was so easy to dive into intense love making at that time, Harry thought, with melancholy.

And this memory brought another one to Harry.

While Ginny and him were having sex all around the places, Ron and Hermione were just starting their relationship. Everything was new to them, so it took them some time to feel comfortable enough to have sex.

Harry had an inner laugh remembering that day, six months after the end of the war, when he had walked in on Ron and Hermione at Grimmauld Place.

The four of them were spending a lot of time there, to continue cleaning up the house since Harry intended to live there.

On that particular day, Ginny had stayed at the Burrow and Harry was clearing Regulus's room. He had found an odd magical object that he did not recognize and thought he might ask Hermione about it.

She and Ron were supposed to be cleaning the attic of Buckbeek's old traces.

But when he had entered the room, not bothering to knock (why on earth should he?), a shocking scene met his eyes.

Hermione was leaning against the wall, her skirt lifted up a bit, her shirt half unbuttoned. Ron was flat against her, grinding his lower body on her, his mouth on her neck, while one of his hands was inside Hermione's knickers. And Hermione's hand was inside Ron's trousers too.

Harry gaped and felt himself root on the spot for a few seconds when he saw them. They had clearly not heard him come in and were continuing their activities. It took him 10 full seconds to unroot himself from his spot and try to leave quietly.

But of course the damn floor had chosen that moment to creak under his feet and make Hermione realize they were not alone.

When Hermione opened her eyes and saw Harry, she jumped.

"Oy! What's wrong?" cried Ron who clearly was so much into it that he had not heard the floor creaking.

Hermione retrieved her hand, pushed Ron away, and tried to settle her clothes correctly, crimson in the face.

Ron then turned around and saw Harry. "Oh! Harry... " he said, surprised, zipping his own trousers. "I didn't hear you coming, mate" he added, unnecessarily, putting a hand in his hair awkwardly.

Harry had been both mortified and very amused by the situation.

Well mortified for a few seconds, then amused.

He excused himself and left the room, not daring to look at Hermione, but still taking the time to smirk at Ron who gave him a discreet, embarrassed, smile.

It was after that event that Ron and Harry had their first real talk about sex.

And that had been a very awkward conversation.

"You could have knocked mate!' had said Ron, glaring at Harry, "I had a good thing going on..." he added full of reproaches.

"Yeah, I saw that!" Harry answered fighting the urge to laugh. "So you two are having fun, it seems…"

"Well, yeah…" confirmed Ron, messing his hair awkwardly. "We've taken time, you know… to… start this kind of stuff…" he added in a low voice

"But now it's started, I have a really hard time waiting for more…" he added with a wicked smile.

Harry snorted. "I get that, mate"

"Harry. I'm really not sure I want to know, but… you and Ginny, is it really serious now? I mean, are you… having fun too?" Ron asked, frowning.

Harry was not sure how to answer to that. It would had been far easier if it was not Ron's sister that he was shaging every other day… He knew this was dangerous territory, so he treaded carefully.

"Hum… we are serious, we love each other…" he stated hesitantly, watching Ron's reaction.

Ron seemed satisfied by Harry's answer but soon prompted another question:

"So… and I'm going to leave my sister's name out of that question, but, I guess you are having fun too and I just wondered, how… you know… if you have ever… gone down there?" Ron asked, his ears red.

Harry blinked several times. Was Ron that stupid?

Harry and Ginny were having sex for a solid six months now. And going down on Ginny had already been done before that, during Harry's sixth year.

But that was something Ron probably should never know, for Harry's sake.

So, he settled on a very simple answer.

"Well… yes".

Ron eyes widened. Then he shook his head, probably trying to get rid of an unpleasant image.

"Fuck" Ron said. "Fuck Harry, this is hard! I mean I'm glad you and Ginny are together but I wish I could talk about that kind of things with you without having urges to punch you in the face".

Harry took a step back.

"I mean, she's my little sister! It's hard to close my eyes on that. Especially when I feel like sharing... " complained Ron.

Harry felt Ron struggle to keep going. He clearly had important things to share but couldn't bear himself to do it.

"Okay Ron" Harry started, resolute, "why don't you just… ask whatever you want to ask now, and we can get rid of it?"

Ron took a deep breath. So did Harry.

"Are you or are you not… shagging my sister ?" asked Ron, mortified, covering his eyes with his hands.

Harry clutched at his wand in his pocket before answering, just in case...

"We do have sex, yes." he said simply.

Ron didn't uncover his eyes for a long moment before looking at Harry again, he was livid.

"Shit", he started in a faint voice. "Blimey, Harry, you always are one step ahead of me right?"

"You mean, you and Hermione are not.. Yet?" asked Harry, trying to bring Ron away from the idea of Harry shagging his sister.

"No. Not yet." Ron answered, ears pink. "I think it's going to happen… soon. But we don't wanna rush it, so… well, I'm just being patient I guess."

"That's fine, be patient Ron" approved Harry.

"Is it… I mean… is it really good?" asked Ron with a shy smile.

Harry could not suppress a slight smirk.

"Mate… just… just wait for it" he answered, in a quiet and awed voice.

And he winked at Ron.

All in all, things could have gone worse, Harry had thought. Ron had not tried to curse him after all. They had not discussed sex again for a long time after that and it was Ginny who told Harry, a few months later that Hermione and Ron were actually having sex.

Remembering all that brought Harry to a realization. Hermione and Ginny were already sharing about sex back then. So Hermione probably knew since their sixth year what Harry and Ginny were doing together. But Ron did not. Harry suddenly felt extreme gratitude towards Hermione for not sharing what she knew with Ron back then.


	5. Chapter 5 : The game

When Harry got up on thursday, he remembered that he was supposed to have lunch with Hermione that day. It filled him with joy. They used to eat together every thursdays in Diagon Alley before. But work had gone in the way and it had become very occasional lately. So Harry was glad to be able to be with his friend again, face to face.

He did kind of wonder if that strange moment they had shared in her kitchen might make them uneasy. Or if she simply had forgotten all about it already.

Harry had not forgotten. It was weird to think about it. At times, he admitted to himself that something strange had happened. At others, he just thought this was all his imagination, and his body was just very much awake these days seeing as he was having so much sex with Ginny again.

The timing might just have been a coincidence. To be frank, he still had a hard time convincing himself about that last part.

But when Hermione waved at him from a distance in front of the door of the Leaky Cauldron, Harry beamed. They settled at a rickety table in a corner of the pub, which was very crowded. This meant that they were sitting very closely, their feet touching everytime one of them shifted in his seat.

Hermione looked radiant, she was very enthousiastic about a new appointment in her office.

"I swear, Harry, William is a great find for my office, he's so fresh from Hogwarts, only 20 years old, but he does have the right mindset. I reckon I can teach him lots in the weeks to come."

Harry listened to her, happy that she had found herself a good assistant.

"Did you have any new appointment at the Auror department?" asked Hermione when she was done about William.

"Well, I did see a few applications, but none of them was very good. I hope better ones are coming, I know for a fact that 3 more have been submitted. We really need new Aurors since Williamson and Dawlish retired" answered Harry, sighing.

"Maybe you expect too much of them ?" suggested Hermione "I'm not the only one to be so demanding to my co-workers…"

"It's possible. Only, if I want to trust my team, I need to be sure all new entering is perfect. Perfect people don't come along very often Hermione" answered Harry with faith.

"I guess no one really is perfect Harry…" Hermione supplied.

"Well, you are perfect" he answered simply.

He saw Hermione's eyes widen and quickly added "I mean, you are perfect at your job!"

She relaxed, and so did Harry, who had felt blood going to his cheeks.

 _Why do I suddenly feel like a stupid schoolboy ?_

"Thanks Harry" she said, smiling with pride "I guess I'm not used to get so much praise from you" she added as an afterthought, "Always good to hear!" she smiled again.

"You are welcome" Harry answered, smiling as well, "And if you ever feel the need to praise me for anything, don't hesitate" he joked.

"Like you don't get enough praise already !" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean, friend praise, not some dumb tabloid praise" Harry responded.

"Yes, that's right, you're in The Niffler again" snorted Hermione.

"What? am I?" he asked, suddenly worried.

The Niffler was a bad tabloid, feeding on scandals and half true gossips. Harry had frequently ended up on its cover over the past years for various stupid reasons. But this time he had no idea what Hermione was talking about.

"Oh my god, no one told you yet? I guess you are not going to like it… though it's nothing too bad, don't worry… let's just say that you have made the top ten of Most Charming Wizards of the Ministry again" laughed Hermione.

Harry rolled his eyes to the ceiling. He didn't really care about that anymore, usually he just laughed about it, but still, he did not like being at the front of the public scene like that.

"Come on" started Hermione again, "Let's just say you might get more attention from the passing witches for a few weeks..." she said, teasing him.

"Ha Ha, very funny Hermione… like I need any publicity for that…"

Hermione shot him an falsely outraged look.

"You seem pretty sure about your charms already mister!" she said with false shock in her voice.

Harry laughed again.

"Well… I'm not complaining" Harry answered, looking smug.

"My my Harry! I never knew you to be so self confident!" Hermione said, mocking him again.

"Well, shouldn't I?" he teased.

Hermione cleared her throat, blushing just a little bit.

Harry thought that he definitely liked that rosy look on her cheeks. Provoking her was indeed a sweet game for him lately.

Hermione did not seem ready to jump in the game though, for she said, rather timidly :

"You know women like you, Harry, you don't need my opinion on that…"

Harry smirked and felt his chest filling with male pride.

"Still, I'm always open to some praise from a friend…." he answered looking at her with puckish eyes.

She shook her head. "You are impossible ! All right all right. I guess you probably _are_ handsome, since you ended up in that pathetic excuse for a magazine" Hermione let out.

 _Handsome!_

"Yeah, how did that go for me, by the way? You said I was in the top ten, you didn't tell me what number I was!" Harry realized.

Hermione shot him a sardonic look.

"One. You are the Top One, please don't brag!" she warned him.

Harry fell back into his chair, laughing, with a proud look on his face, mixed with incredulity.

After all these years, he still got to be the number one.

After a moment of silence, Hermione added "I guess Ginny is not going to like that so much… knowing you are so popular!"

"What?" said Harry, "Are you kidding me? Ginny loves it!"

"Really?" asked Hermione with incredulity.

"Yeah, she's quite popular herself you know" stated Harry, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"And I guess she loves it when she knows others witches find me attractive." he added.

"Maybe… but she might not like the idea that some witches would hit with you..." said Hermione, reasonably.

"Are you telling me that she never told you about that little game of ours?" interrupted Harry, wondering.

"What game ?" asked Hermione, looking curious.

"Well… Ginny and I, we've been together for a long time now and you know… sometimes the passion fails a little… and so, we have kind of a tacit agreement that suits us both…" Harry explained, adding mystery in his voice.

Hermione nodded him to go on. He saw she was hanging to his words.

"Well, let's just say that we allow each other to flirt around a little"

Hermione's eyes widened and she looked curious.

"Flirt around a little ?" she repeated, comprehension dawning on her face.

"Yeah, you know, nothing too serious, just enough to feel... desired..." Harry explained in a low voice.

"Well that explains why Ginny is always so shamelessly flirty… I thought you simply didn't see it for what it was!" said Hermione surprised.

Harry nodded.

"So you both agreed on that? What's in it for you?" she asked.

"Well, for one, it makes us feel desired by other people, which always feels nice. And then, well, let me tell you that Ginny likes a little competition, she feels she has to… satisfy me even more afterwards" Harry confided in a naughty voice.

Hermione looked at him as if she had not understood.

"Satisfy you?" she asked tentatively.

Harry bent his head on the side a little bit, trying to read her. Had Hermione really not understood what he implied?

"Well, for instance, she woke me up in a very nice fashion the other day. To be more specific, I sure had a wonderful time while she worked on me…" he said, knowing full well it was purely for the pleasure of seeing Hermione blush again. And she sure did.

 _Here come the rosy cheeks again..._

Hermione shifted in her seat, her leg touching Harry's, she removed it quickly.

It took a few seconds before she was ready to talk again.

"Well… this is… well... " she was speechless. "But how does it work? I mean, the flirting bit, how do you know when you ought to stop? Don't you think it's a bit risky?"

She asked, very serious.

"Well, it has worked so far. And besides, it's the risk that makes it hot!" Harry explained with an intense look.

She grinned and shook her head. "You always loved taking risks…" and then she added "Maybe I should try it sometimes too…"

"Try what ?" Harry asked, not sure where this was going.

"Taking risks… maybe flirt a little…"

 _Did I just suggest to my best friend's wife to flirt around ?_

"It's just.. It was always you, Harry, that brought me to take risks, I'm not sure I can do it on my own" she added unsure of herself.

Harry cleared his throat hesitantly, "Well" he started in a low voice, "I can show you how this works if you want…"

He knew that was very bold. But he wanted to make sure to fix whatever idea he had planted in her head. He could not have Hermione flirting around because of him. Ron would kill him.

But Hermione was laughing. "Yeah, right!"

"I'm serious!" Harry insisted "You need to do it right! Otherwise you'll just attract yourself trouble! And believe me I'm an expert at dodging trouble!" Harry laughed.

She looked at him in the eyes and tried to recompose herself.

"Ok ok, show me!" she said, incapable to stay serious.

"Ok! But don't laugh! If you laugh, I'll laugh, and that is not going to work" Harry told her very seriously.

"I promise" she said with a wide teasing smile.

 _That is sure going to be interesting._

Harry took a deep breath, Hermione was watching him intently.

He leaned closer and whispered in her ear : "Just let me show you". And then, he very softly blew some hot air in her neck.

He felt her shiver slightly. She was not laughing, at all. He looked at her intently, deep in the eyes. She did not look away. He felt her shift her legs a little bit and took the opportunity. He extended his right leg to brush hers. She did not move. He simply put his leg against hers. After an intense look, he slightly lifted his foot to brush her calf softly.

He saw her eyes glint. But she did not move.

He leaned again towards her neck and whispered : "I've already seen you flirt once Hermione… you _are_ good at it" and he gently pushed some hair behind her ear, while glancing at her cleavage, just for a second, but so she could not ignore it.

Still gazing intently at her, he lowered his eyes to her pretty full lips. And up to her eyes again. They were dark and shiny.

And he felt it. A jolt in his stomach. A flock of butterflies.

Harry knew he ought to stop, but he seemed unable to break the connection.

And Hermione was not helping. She bit her lower lip and inhaled deeply, her breast rising slowly.

A glass shattered right next to them.

They both jumped.

Hermione seemed to leave her fantasy state and come back to reality, getting redder in the cheeks by the second. Harry felt his hands shaking under the table.

The connection had been strong. In all his experience of flirting, he'd never felt it that much.

He cleared his throat. "Well" he started in a hoarse voice, "Shouldn't we be going back to work?"

They walked back to the ministry in total silence. Heavy silence. But right before they had to separate their ways, Hermione leaned towards Harry and whispered in his ear:

"I enjoyed that game, thank you, Harry".

He felt rooted to the spot.

 _She sure knows how to flirt, whatever she thinks._

A giant butterfly spread his wings in his stomach.


	6. Chapter 6 : Lily and Teddy

When Harry went home that night, he still felt inappropriately happy about his lunch.

But when Ginny arrived from the Daily Prophet, he was almost instantly distracted.

"Hey ! I've been waiting to see you!" she said, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"I got a letter from McGonagall this morning… about Lily" she told him.

"Oh no… Already in trouble ?" asked Harry, worrying instantly.

"No, nothing like that Harry, it's just normal procedure, but I guess you ought to know…" Ginny answered calmly.

"Know what?" asked Harry impatiently.

"Lily had her first period today" answered Ginny.

"What?" said Harry, a little taken aback. "But she's only a baby!" he rebelled.

Ginny smiled at him, sympathetically.

"Well, not so much, honey. She's growing fast, our little girl". she answered with a sad smile.

Harry sat in silence for a minute. This was really disorienting.

He knew Ginny had explained all about periods to Lily, so he had stayed out of it, feeling she would not be that comfortable to talk about it with her father.

He knew Lily was almost twelve, so it shouldn't be a surprise, but still, Harry felt like his kids were growing far too quickly. But he suddenly felt curiosity rising in him.

"How come McGonagall knows about it ?" he asked.

"Well, as I said, it's standard procedure at Hogwarts, that the Head of house or the Headmistress writes to the parents when it happens" explained Ginny.

"Really?" said Harry, surprised, "I never thought about it"

"Yeah well, why would you?" she said, "At the beginning of each year, the female Heads of Houses or the Headmistress gathers every girls and explains it" supplied Ginny, more seriously. "They explain to us what it is, in case parents have not… and they tell us to refer to Madam Pomfrey when it happens" added Ginny.

"Well, I never knew about that" answered Harry, feeling a bit stupid. "So, is she okay, Lily?" he asked, slightly worried for his baby girl.

"She's fine", Ginny smiled reassuringly, "Madam Pomfrey taught her the basic spells she needs to know, so that she can manage it and it does not hurt too much".

Harry felt a pang in his heart thinking Lily might be in pain.

He stayed silent for a minute.

"Was it the same for you back then?" he finally asked, "Did McGonagall explained it to you?"

"Yes. Well mum had already told me everything, but I sure felt a bit confused at first" Ginny answered sincerely. "I was in first year too, and well, let's just say that having 6 brothers does not help when you have your first period..."

"What happened ?" asked Harry, curious.

"Well, of course McGonagall wrote to mum and dad, only it was just before summer break and we all went home not long after that. I guess mum did not put the letter away though, because George and F…" Ginny stopped in mid sentence.

 _Fred._

She breathed deeply trying to steady herself. Fred loss was still very painful, even after so many years.

"George and Fred", she started again in a small voice, "found the letter and spent the whole summer teasing me about it", explained Ginny.

"They thought it might make me mad enough to forget about the whole Voldemort possession business I guess…"

"Wow. Your first year really was a nightmare…" Harry said, coming towards Ginny to hug her tenderly.

"Well, yours was not so much better" Ginny answered with a small smile.

Harry chuckled.

"What? Finding out I'm a wizard? Meeting Voldemort twice?" Harry said, waving his hand as if it was nothing.

"And jumping head first in the Chamber of Secrets to save me…" completed Ginny.

"At least we both got out of it alive… thanks to you" she added, her face full of love.

Harry kissed her forehead.

"Anyway, it won't be like that for Lily. And I made pretty damn sure that her brothers would never tease her about her periods." said Ginny fiercely. "Well, mostly James" she added, with a tense laugh.

"That one sure is a teaser" agreed Harry, "I reckon Fred and George passed it on him" he said, fondly.

Ginny smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"They did" she nodded.

A soft "pop" made them both suddenly jump. Harry clutched at his wand in his pocket, looking at the window to see who was coming. Auror reflexes were strong.

But then he heard a knock on the door and a voice he knew very well.

 _Teddy ?_

"Harry! Ginny! It's me, Teddy! Are you there?" said Teddy, loudly through the door.

Harry ran to the door, opened it and hugged him. Merlin, he had missed his godson.

"What are you doing here Teddy?" Harry asked once Ginny had finished hugging him too.

But Teddy's face fell.

"I… I broke up with Victoire…" he said hesitantly, in a very small voice, not daring to look at Ginny.

"What?" exclaimed Harry and Ginny.

Teddy just looked very sorry.

Harry let him in and guided him to the kitchen.

"Tell us, what happened? You two were together forever!" urged Ginny with a plea in her voice.

"I'm sorry Ginny, I know you love Victoire…" said Teddy, apologetic and looking at the floor.

That was an understatement, Harry thought. Ginny was extremely fond of Victoire. She was born only two years after the end of the war and Ginny was absolutely crazy about her.

"Of course we love Victoire, but we love you too Teddy, tell us what happened" answered Ginny, patting Teddy's back.

"Well, we were in Paris and..." started Teddy. But his voice suddenly failed him and he blushed madly.

Harry took a bottle of firewhiskey from the pantry and silently poured a glass to Teddy.

Teddy nodded in thanks and drained his glass.

"So, you feel ready to tell us?" asked Harry when Teddy put his glass down on the table.

But Teddy did not look ready at all. He looked from Harry to Ginny awkwardly before simply saying.

"I'm sorry guys but I don't think I can, actually."

He sure looked very embarrassed and Harry thought he might just need a quiet night in a friendly home.

"Well, you can take James' room, of course" Harry reassured him.

Teddy smiled a thank you and went to bed shortly after that.

"What do you think happened?" Ginny asked Harry once Teddy had left to bed.

"I have no clue…" answered Harry, truthfully.

"Well, he looked so embarrassed, I wonder… do you think it's bad?" asked Ginny fearfully.

"I hope not… Let's just give him some time, I'm sure he'll feel ready to share tomorrow." said Harry, confident.


	7. Chapter 7 : Confidence

It was a cold and wet friday. Teddy's arrival at the Potter's still fresh, Harry had planned to go bring him to the Leaky Cauldron that night, thinking they might meet Ron or George there.

As usual, Ginny had her Friday night Quidditch practice.

Harry hadn't seen Teddy much before leaving for work that morning. His Godson had been very quiet and not inclined to talk about his break up.

Harry thought it might unlock his tongue to have a drink with people he knew and maybe relax a bit. Teddy was not looking very sad, actually, and that did kind of bother Harry.

He wanted to be supportive of his godson's choices, but he also knew how deeply Teddy loved Victoire and he doubted anything had changed that.

When Harry and Teddy arrived at the pub, Ron was already drinking a Butterbeer with George. They explained that they couldn't stay long because it was inventory night at the Joke shop.

After George scowled a little at Teddy (for he had heard the news about the break-up), he still stuffed Teddy's pockets with a few novelties from the shop, winking at him before saying, trying to look stern : "Sort that out Teddy Bear, and be good to her!".

And Ron and George had left the pub.

So, Harry and Teddy settled down and ordered drinks.

Teddy's natural hair color was black, his eyes a clear blue, he had a good natured face and Harry could recognize Remus's smile in his son.

Teddy was watching the crowd, clearly not so ready to cross Harry's eyes.

"Come on Teddy, relax, I'm not going to judge you, really!" Harry reassured his Godson, with a warm smile.

Teddy looked at Harry at last, took a deep breath and said:

"I know Harry, It's just… well… I guess I can tell _you_..."

But as he was about to tell Harry exactly what was going on, Hermione voice called: "There you are!"

They had not seen her entering the pub.

"Hey Hermione!" cheered Teddy.

She hugged him fondly.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" said Hermione, her voice full of joy as she was crushing him in an embrace.

She then cast a fleeting look at Harry before briefly hugging him too.

"How come you're here?" asked Harry, surprised by her presence.

Hermione usually worked late on friday nights. She said it was the only moment of quiet she could get at the office and could really have work done without being interrupted.

"Well, I apparated at the shop, I offered to help Ron and George for the inventory tonight, but then Ron told me you were here, Teddy, and I couldn't resist the urge to see you!" explained Hermione, cheerfully.

"Well, I'm really happy you're here!" smiled Teddy, looking very cheerful too.

These two had always got on very well, even when Teddy was just a baby. Hermione had loved taking care of him. She had also tutored him for a while when he was taking his Owls and Newts exams. They were very close.

"So, what are we drinking?" asked Hermione looking at their glasses.

"Good old butterbeer" said Teddy, still smiling.

Hermione ordered a bottle for herself and sat down next to Teddy.

"Anyway" she said, taking her scarf off, "What were you two up to?"

"Well…" started Harry before Teddy could talk, "Teddy here, was just about to tell me what happened with Victoire before you walked in" said Harry, winking at his Godson.

 _Yeah, that's right, I'm not dropping the subject tonight_.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and looked inquisitively at Teddy.

"Well I hope you don't mind my presence then…"

Teddy looked a bit uneasy.

Hermione laughed. "Teddy, I'm sure, whatever this is, we can talk it out" she added, reassuringly.

Teddy seemed to hesitate, he took a deep breath and looked at Hermione and then at Harry.

"Okay" he surrendered, "So, you know Victoire and I have been together for over 3 years, right?"

Harry and Hermione nodded.

"Well" Teddy started again with uncertainty, "Lately we felt like maybe we rushed into it a bit. You know what I mean?" he asked Harry and Hermione.

Harry and Hermione stayed silent, waiting.

"I mean… I know you guys have all married your Hogwart's crushes but… you know, maybe that's not… I mean…" Teddy's voice faded awkwardly.

"You mean what exactly?" asked Harry.

"I mean, Victoire and I feel like we need to experiment with other people, sexually, before settling down for good".

Teddy had spoken without drawing breath, as if he just needed the words out.

Hermione leaned back on her chair. Harry looked at her, trying to read her mind, like he so often did.

When no one of them spoke, Teddy started again, in an apologetic tone.

"I guessed you would not understand… That's why I had such a hard time telling you, Harry..."

At Teddy's words, Harry and Hermione gazed at each other for a full five seconds before bursting out laughing.

Teddy seemed utterly lost. He was looking from Harry to Hermione, not sure what was happening.

"Teddy" Hermione started after she had finished laughing, "We _do_ understand." she said flatly. "We totally do".

"You do?" Teddy asked, relief slowly etching on his face.

"I thought… I thought you'd think I'm crazy, or a sex perv' at least!" he cried.

Hermione laughed again.

"Teddy, just because we're married, does not mean we are chaste or prude!"

Teddy went slightly pink but seemed to relax.

"So, are you telling me, you have been with other people?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Well, I haven't" answered Hermione, simply "Not really…" she added as an afterthought.

Harry looked at her intently.

 _Polyjuice business excluded then…_

"But just ask your beloved godfather about it, I'm sure he's got plenty to tell…" said Hermione looking quizzically at Harry. He felt his face whiten and she laughed.

 _Oh. Nice play Hermione. Ok. So I guess I'm just going to spill my secrets to Teddy now…_

Harry cleared his throat.

"Hum… well, yeah. I have." he confessed.

"You have?" asked Teddy, in shock.

"Long ago, yes. Ginny and I broke up for a while… You were just 5 or 6 at the time" explained Harry a bit embarrassed.

"Blimey Harry, I never knew…" said Teddy, his eyes wide."So what happened?" he prompted.

"More or less what you are living right now with Victoire I guess… I loved Ginny, and she loved me, but after a few years together and the notion that everybody was waiting for us to get married… Well, we got scared."

Harry took a deep breath before going on:

"I realized I had spent my whole childhood and teenage years running away from Voldemort. And suddenly I was a young Auror, quickly imposing changes in the way things were done. I was invited to every important events, people were actually listening to me. I was going out a lot and arousing the interest of many girls… and I was not immune to that" Harry explained somewhat embarrassed.

"Mind you, I never cheated on Ginny" he added quickly with a serious look on his face, making sure he was being clear for Teddy.

Harry took another deep breath.

"And Ginny… well, Ginny always had a lot of success with men, obviously" Harry stated.

"She was chaser for the Harpie's back then, she was playing abroad half of the time and... let's just say those girls loved to celebrate… with drinks, and men… So, I guess Ginny thought she was missing on some things..." Harry added with some bitterness.

"With me so busy at the Ministry and Ginny playing all around the world, we didn't see much of each other and it led to a few arguments."

Teddy swallowed.

"Well, I had no idea… so, you broke up?" he asked.

"I think we both knew that we would come back to each other in the end, but, yeah… We agreed to take a small break and see what would happen rather than betray our mutual trust" Harry confirmed.

"And what DID happen?" asked Teddy, eagerly.

 _Hum. Time to get it out then…_

"Hum… well, we followed the plan" Harry said simply.

"I was living in Grimmauld Place back then, and Ginny was staying at Bill and Fleur's. when she was not playing for the Harpies" Harry continued, "She never told any other Weasley about it of course. We were not about to let anyone know…" he explained, his face serious.

"Blimey… and Bill knew? He agreed with Ginny… going out and so on?" asked Teddy dumbfounded. Bill was, after all, almost Teddy's father in law…

"Bill only knew we were taking a break. He was always supportive of Ginny. And while she lived there she took care of Victoire, a lot. So, all in all, I guess Bill just decided to respect her choices. But, yes, he's the only Weasley that knew about it at the time." confirmed Harry.

"And?" Prompted Teddy, clearly enjoying the tale, "Did you… I mean, did you… sleep with other women?" he asked.

Harry cleared his throat again.

"Yeah. I did" he confirmed calmly.

"How many?" asked Teddy, bluntly.

Harry laughed uncomfortably at Teddy's eagerness.

"A few. In a very short period of time…" he said. "It did not take me long to realize this was all nice and fun but it was Ginny I actually wanted. I felt stupid and selfish."

"And did Ginny…" started Teddy.

"No, I don't think so. And I felt really bad about it for a while, because, I had been experimenting while she had stayed at Bill and Fleur's taking care of Victoire" Harry confessed a bit uneasy.

"She did go out a lot though, I know she once went home with a bloke, and… well, things happened. But she never went all the way, not that I know of…" said Harry, thinking this through.

Ginny had refused to tell him what had happened or whom she was with.

They had decided to forget, forgive and move on.

"Anyway, we went back to each other after a couple of months and never spoke of it again. We got married, were happier than ever, had James, Albus and then Lily" Harry concluded.

"Wow" said Teddy, leaning back in his chair. "Wow" he said again before taking a long sip of Butterbeer.

"I had no idea" he said, "But it does make me feel a bit better though, I don't feel so pervy after all" added Teddy in a laugh.

Harry patted Teddy's back and said : "So, if the two of you are really sure about it, fine, but be very careful, what worked for us might not work for you… we took a huge risk, I can not recommend it" Harry warned his Godson.

"And I would advise you not to tell any Weasley the reason of your breakup…" Harry added very seriously.

Teddy nodded and seemed to dive into deep thoughts. Then he suddenly asked to Hermione:

"And you knew about it?"

Hermione who had been listening very quietly so far, answered :

"Yes, I knew. Harry told me. And Ginny too. It was difficult to hide it from Ron though. But I hoped it would not last too long and I just waited. Of course Harry never told me in details of his encounters but I read between lines…" she said, shaking her head at Harry with a disapproving look on her face.

"And I was right, it certainly did not last more than a couple of months. I was so relieved not to have that secret on my shoulders anymore." Hermione explained, snorting.

Teddy nodded, with an sympathetic look.

After a moment of silence he seemed to hesitate to speak again :

"And, now that you all have been married for so long… don't you ever feel like… like you'd want to sleep with someone else? Just once?" he asked tentatively, looking at his feet.

Harry's eyes shot to Hermione's face. She looked deep in thoughts, her hand supporting her head, one finger touching her lips. Then her eyes focused again. On Harry. She looked at him for a few seconds, her finger playing with her lower lip.

 _Now, is she doing it on purpose is it just my twisted mind?_

"I guess it has crossed all of our minds…" she answered absently, looking at Teddy.

"But, well, Teddy, we all have our own ways to master our desire" she added, before looking directly at Harry.

He suddenly felt his heart beat faster.


	8. Chapter 8 : Past and present

Teddy seemed to feel much better about his decision after his night at the pub with Harry and Hermione.

Harry had given him the password for Grimmauld Place, so Teddy was now free to come and go from Harry's place to his own temporary house.

Harry himself had lived at Grimmauld place for a few years after the war, with Ron.

Of course, once the castle was fixed, he often stayed at the Burrow too. He always felt at home there.

It had been a difficult time though, right after the war. All the Weasley were mourning Fred, Remus, Tonks and so many others. And so was Harry.

He made it clear from the start with Andromeda that he would be a part of Teddy's life and indeed, he had spent every saturday at Teddy's for a long time. Then Harry and Ginny had bought their own house and Teddy was old enough to use the floo powder to come anytime he wanted.

Harry had made sure that Neville, once he became a teacher at Hogwarts, would keep an eye on Teddy for him. And Teddy always came back to Harry and Ginny's place for Christmas, Easter and summer holidays. Time share with Andromeda of course.

So all in all, Harry was positive that Teddy had grown up with a lot of love around him. And when he was in his seventh year at Hogwarts, he had fallen in love with Victoire.

It had not been a surprise for anyone. Those two grew up together and had already a sort of family bond between them. Of course it had led to a few awkward situations and conversations. Harry only too well remembered the day Bill had to put his foot down at the Quidditch World cup. Bulgaria was playing Brazil and all the family was attending. But Teddy and Victoire were a bit more preoccupied by snogging than Quidditch.

Bill ended up switching seats with his daughter just to put a little distance between her and Teddy.

Harry smiled to himself. He remembered talking to Teddy afterwards. Teddy had been complaining about omnipresent family, and a man's needs. Harry had laughed and just told Teddy that he should be thankful Victoire did not have 6 older brothers like Ginny had.

Harry had always been welcome at the Weasley's, but when it became public that he was seeing Ginny after the Battle, well… let's just say that a few brothers got in the way.

Ron had no choice but to accept it of course, and they all did, but Charlie's warning still rang in Harry's ear : "I don't care how many Dark Lords you bring down, take care of my sister or I'll take care of you".

George had just laughed and told Harry that he would hex his scrawny git's ass to itch forever if he ever hurt his sister.

And Molly, was clearly struggling between two emotions: delight that Harry was really part of the family and fear that her little girl would be sexually active. Which she was. Harry and Ginny just laughed about it all when they were alone. But in front of Molly, they were very careful and tried not to look too guilty.

Ginny had quite a lot of trouble to control her tempers when her mother was determined to limit her freetime with Harry, as she would soon be returning to Hogwarts.

When Molly insisted that Ginny was to be home every night at 10, she was on fury. But they had found ways to meet anyway and Harry thought Molly might suspect and just close her eyes on it.

Arthur seemed to trust Harry and Ginny, then again, he did not say much back then. He was focused on keeping Molly happy, as happy as they could be after losing Fred…

Molly had been different with Hermione of course, she was a girl. She had warned Ron to always be the gentleman and treat her with respect.

Ron had rolled his eyes to the ceiling, but of course, he had always respected Hermione very much.

And once Ginny and Hermione went back to Hogwarts, Ron and Harry were so busy training to be Aurors and helping rebuild the Wizarding World, that it was difficult to meet the girls.

They met at every Hogsmeade weekend and spent the holidays together.

When the year was finally over, Ginny was recruited for the Harpies and Hermione joined the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (which she soon renamed : Department for Magical Creatures Rights).

Both girls took a flat together, but really, they stayed at Grimmauld Place most of the nights.

Bringing all these memories to the top of his mind made Harry think about the two women he loved the most.

He and Ginny had made a long journey. Through war and grief, through break-up, marriage, parenthood and career. They loved and trusted each other.

Harry and Hermione's relation was different. They had been friends since the age of eleven. They had grown up together, balancing each other.

They had lived the worst part of their lives together, alone in the forest and it had reinforced their bond. Hermione had never let him down. She was a true friend, faithful and honest. She had always told him when he was being stupid. She still did.

He could trust her to always spot any mischief in his eyes and warn him against it.

Hermione was in control and he still relied on her for that.

So, what if they had flirted? Sure, they had never explored that territory together, but it had been a fun, consensual game, that's all. They were both responsible adults.

He knew how to flirt and so did she (even though she pretended otherwise). And he could trust Hermione to control anything in life.

He was just a little disturbed by the fact that it had had unpredictable consequences.

Only this morning, in the shower, he had been enjoying the feeling of hot water on his body, when he had thought about her.

She had intruded his mind. He had suddenly felt the need to release the pressure.

One palm against the shower wall, his eyes closed, a variety of images crossed his mind, as he had started jerking off.

He saw Ginny spreading her legs for him, he saw that girl from the pub, Josephine, bending to show off her cleavage, he saw Hermione bite her lip. He saw Hermione looking at a dark-haired man with lust... He saw Hermione staring at him, full of desire and touching herself…

And Harry was lost. A few more pumps of the hand and he had come. His semen flowing on his feet.

He had felt both relaxed and a bit worried after that.

Could he really have fantasies about Hermione? Was that okay?

When he saw Ginny making coffee in the kitchen he was glad she could not use legilimency on him.

She had never been the jealous kind, she was ever self-confident. At least since she was 14 years old. Harry admired that. But still, he didn't like the idea that she would know about his brand new fantasy. Unlike his other flirts, he felt he had to keep this private.

ooooooo

"Hi Chief!" his team greeted him when he entered the Auror open space.

He waved at some and shook a few hands before entering his private office.

He had a lot of files on his desk this morning.

Even though there weren't any extreme dark wizards at large anymore, Harry's job, as Head of Auror department, was to make sure it would not change.

So, any suspicious activity in the country ended up on his desk. It was his job to dispatch the work to his team once he had a clear idea of each case.

It was also his job to recruit and train his Aurors with advanced Defense magic and they all had physical training at least twice a week. This was very important too because one can't be quick with his wand if his body is slow.

And on occasions, he also went on missions to interrogate or hunt suspicious wizards and witches.

Harry's team of Aurors was composed of 25 people. He had chosen and trained at least half of them. The others were already there or had arrived when Harry had joined.

The Auror department was split into 5 squads of 5 Aurors. In each squad there was a Squad Leader and 4 Aurors, fully-qualified or trainees.

Harry was Chief to all of them. The Squad Leaders referred to him before taking any major decision within their squad.

Amongst the Squad Leaders were former Dumbledore's Army members : Terry Boot, Susan Bones and Dennis Creevey.

Ron and Neville had also been Aurors for a few years before they quit to pursue their current carriers. When the last known Death Eater had been caught 5 years after the war, Ron had left the Auror office to become a full time partner at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. He now helped George run the Shop and invent new artefacts. Some of which Harry used for his Aurors.

As for Neville, he had quit to become Herbology teacher at Hogwarts after 6 years of loyal service.

Harry had stayed of course, he could not imagine doing anything else. At the age of 25, he had become the youngest Squad Leader ever.

And five years ago, he had become Chief.

This meant that he was less on the field and he sometimes missed it. But Ginny and the kids were relieved.

This week had been quite busy. There had been several cases of use of dark spells in Ireland. Harry was very preoccupied by one in particular : Sectumsempra.

Snape's spell. He had not seen anyone use it since Snape himself so many years ago and this troubled him greatly. He had sent a team to Ireland, were the victim had been reported, to investigate and was deeply immersed in their report.

Considering all that, he had not registered that it was already Thursday.

So when an intra ministry note arrived for him with Hermione's stamp on it, his stomach gave a jolt.

" _Harry,_

 _I just thought I would write to check if you are still available for lunch._

 _Just let me know._

 _Hermione"_

Harry thought for a second about his morning activity and Hermione's part in it before shaking his head and writing his reply.

" _Hermione,_

 _I'd love to._

 _Same place,_

 _Same time?_

 _Harry"_

He did the spell, and the note flew away.

He went back to his report.

At eleven, he thought he might take a break from that case and just look at a few applications for Auror training. He opened the first one and read.

This one actually looked interesting. Top student at Hogwarts, Huffelpuff, 6 Newts, an O in Defense against the Dark Arts, currently working in Law Enforcement.

He did seem like a good candidate. Harry looked for his personal information but found none.

The file was incomplete. He would make sure to ask Eliza, his secretary, about it.

He could not miss meeting that candidate.

But he was taken out of his file by another intra ministry note.

It was Hermione's stamp again.

Harry opened it, wondering if maybe she had to cancel their lunch.

" _Harry,_

 _Same time,_

 _same place,_

 _same game?_

 _Hermione"_

He felt his heartbeat suddenly racing. He blinked and re-read the note several times.

He quickly wrote :

" _Hermione,_

 _I'm not sure I understand your implication, I might be too busy finding ways to "master my desire"_

 _Harry"_

And he sent it. He had chosen the words carefully so that she'd know he had caught her implication when she had said them, the other night at the pub.

Lunch time had arrived and Harry felt butterflies in his stomach.

He looked at his reflexion in the mirror and messed with his hair a bit before putting on his jacket and closing his office door.

He entered the pub where they were supposed to meet, sat at the same rickety table as last time, ordered food and waited for Hermione.

She arrived a few minutes later, her cheeks pink because of the cold outside, her scarf high on her neck. She glanced at him with a shy smile.

But she wasn't actually looking at him. She sat in front of him, silent, and glanced at him again.

He shot her an intense look, the Auror look, and her cheeks became redder.

 _Not so at ease when you are facing me, eh?_

Harry smirked despite himself.

"How are you Hermione?" he asked, feigning casualty.

"I'm fine, Harry, thank you. How are you?" she answered on the same tone.

Her casual tone was forced, she was just trying to look as confident as he did.

"I ordered some stew, I hope it's alright for you?" said Harry, his stare not wavering.

She smiled and nodded.

"It's so chilly out there" started Hermione, trying to fill the silence.

"Don't worry it's quite hot in here…" answered Harry, smiling at her naughtily.

They looked at each other and after a few seconds they both laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation.

The tension between them lifted.

Their food arrived and they started eating.

"So how's Teddy?" Hermione asked, much more relaxed.

"He's fine, actually, he's staying at Grimmauld now, though he pops at the house every other night to eat with us." answered Harry.

"What about his job? Can he just leave like that? Hermione asked, curious.

"He took a few weeks off. Said he needed to come back to London for a while" Harry explained.

"So, has he been going out much?" Hermione asked.

"I think so… I mean, he did seem more at ease with his decision after our talk…" said Harry, feeling uncomfortable.

Hermione snorted.

"I swear, Harry, you are no better than Sirius was when it comes to advise people!" she said.

Harry looked affronted.

"What did you wanted me to say? You think I should have lied to his face?" he asked.

"No, no… I guess you're right, at least you were being honest. He's an adult now, so he can take his own decisions." conceded Hermione.

"Though I must admit it was an interesting tale…" Hermione teased. "I never knew exactly what you did when you and Ginny broke up…"

"You never asked, Hermione" he answered simply.

"That's right. I thought, the less I knew, the less I might be tempted to talk to Ginny or Ron…" Hermione explained.

That made sense.

"Anyway, my policy of ignorance about your time away from Ginny does not apply anymore…" she added, looking at him with a cocky smile.

Harry chuckled.

"Is there something you want to ask me?" he teased.

"Well, I just wondered how many girls you slept with in such a _short period of time_ , you really were evasive about it around Teddy…" asked Hermione, curious and amused.

"Let me think…" said Harry, pretending to rack his brains "Mmh… I guess… a _few_!" he answered, clearly teasing her.

She rolled her eyes at him and he added:

"Now come on, Hermione, you can't expect me to confide in you all the time with nothing in exchange!" Harry said seriously.

Hermione let out a laugh.

"Fair enough… All right. What do you want?" she asked, suspicious.

"I know you disapproved the choice Ginny and I made, but..." started Harry.

"I did" Hermione interrupted. "But I might have reconsidered my opinion" she added.

Harry shot her an inquisitive look.

"I've said it before and I still think it was very risky. But it worked out. And I have to admit I may be a bit jealous" she said, in a low voice.

 _What?_

"I mean, I love Ron, but… I've never been with anyone else. I've been thinking about that fact lately, it's both romantic and... terrifying" she confessed, anxiously.

Harry looked at her. She was confiding her feelings to him, in a way she never had. He nodded, showing her he understood what she meant.

 _Well, technically, she's right..._

Harry was not going to make her confess about the Polyjuice. Yet.

"Have you ever thought about doing it?" he asked, his voice serious.

She didn't answer, so Harry kept going : "Have you ever been tempted?" he asked, concentrating on her reaction.

"I won't lie to you Harry, I've been tempted, yes." she confessed, sincerely.

"Was it anyone in particular?" Harry asked in a low voice.

She blushed a little. But then she looked at him straight in the eyes.

"There have been…. a _few_ " she said very seriously, before bursting out laughing.

 _Damn, she is good at this!_

Harry laughed with her, he knew she had outsmarted him.

He decided on a different tactic. And when they had both calmed down, he asked in a low voice:

"And have you ever wanted to tempt anyone?"

She smiled a little, looking down and biting her lip.

Before she could try to find an answer, Harry said, in a teasing voice:

"I'm sure you have"

Her eyes shot at him.

Harry was surprised to see that she did not look unbalanced by what he had just said, her face was blank. So he decided to push her, just a little more…

He leaned slowly towards her, close to her ear:

"And I know for a fact that you still do" he whispered in her neck.

He heard her startle when she felt his warm breath on her neck and was very satisfied with himself.

When he finally retreated to look at her, her eyes had gone much darker and shiny.

And Merlin, he loved that look.


	9. Chapter 9 : Rules

Harry did not see Hermione for almost a week after their lunch. She had left on Friday to go see her parents for the weekend, but Ron had stayed behind.

So, when Friday night was back, the two of them went out for a drink.

They settled in their usual spot of the pub and ordered two butterbeers.

Ron seemed quite cheerful and Harry wondered what put him in such a good mood.

"I'm going to get used to you looking so cheerful" he told Ron with a smile.

"I hope you will!" answered Ron, "Work is fine, kids are having good grades, wife is hot…" he chanted, like a litany.

Harry laughed. But could not prevent himself to inwardly agree with Ron.

"So, I guess the Polyjuice business is still on?" asked Harry, curious.

"Well, we haven't done it again yet, but it sure started something new in Hermione…"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a bit uneasy.

"Well, she's just jumping at me all the time! And I mean it in a very good way" he added trying to be subtle. "And this morning, well, I was still in bed and… she clearly was inspired because she… well she "pleased" me in a non-profitable way for her if you know what I mean…"

Harry gaped at Ron. Of course, Harry knew what Ron meant.

It felt odd, after he had confided in Hermione about Ginny blowing him in bed, to imagine her doing the same with Ron.

But Dean had just entered the pub and spotted Harry and Ron. He came towards them and they shook hands.

"How are you guys?" he asked, ordering a butterbeer at the same time.

"Great!" answered Ron, "What about you?"

"Oh, you know, back in business" Dean said, perusing the crowd as he took a sip from his bottle. He winked at Harry.

"That's right! Ginny told me you broke up with Ariana?" Harry reminded himself.

"Yeah… time to move on!" Dean answered, not looking concerned at all.

"What went wrong?" Ron asked Dean with curiosity

"I dunno, I just felt like there was nothing more to it, I mean, she was nice but I did not feel the butterflies anymore, you know?" Dean answered, lightly.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Mate, you can't have _the butterflies_ forever you know! She was very pretty that one, and young…"

Dean snorted.

"Yeah well, just because you two got the best girls Hogwarts has ever seen to marry you does not mean we all had that luck!"

Ron laughed. "Careful man, you're talking about my wife and my sister there!"

"I hate to break it to you man, but your wife is steamy. And I'm sorry for saying this in front of you Harry, but Ron, your sister has always been hot!"

Harry felt a pang of annoyance at Dean. Single and handsome as ever, Dean was a touch too confident for Harry's taste tonight. He had already shared way too much intimacy with Ginny when they were 16. And though Harry thought he had forgiven Dean for all that (even if he knew he had nothing, really, to forgive), it was infuriating.

And as much as the recent events made him agree with Dean about Hermione being steamy, he felt very protective of her.

But Ron seemed quite relaxed about what Dean had just said.

"Well, I can't deny my wife is steamy" he laughed.

Neville and Hannah showed up right after and it was nice to catch up with them. Harry left Ron and Dean to talk at the bar and he went to sit at Neville's side.

"Something on your mind Harry?" asked Neville, concerned.

"Wha… No, no, I'm fine" he answered watching intently Ron and Dean, clearly checking out and commenting every witch in the vicinity together.

Harry was used to see Ron watching women with interest and Dean surely was a pro at hitting on girls. But something felt odd tonight.

And when Harry saw Ron getting up and walking towards a pretty 30' year old witch, he didn't quite understand what was going on. Ron never flirted with women. He rather stayed at the bar and watch others do it, smirking.

He thought Ron was doing a good job though, because the witch had invited him to sit next to her and was clearly flirting, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Half an hour had passed before Ron joined Harry, Neville and Hannah at their table again.

He was looking flustered. Dean had long since waved them goodbye before disappearing outside holding the arm of a woman.

When Ron sat down, Hannah looked gravely at him and asked:

"Do you know that woman or were you actually flirting?"

"What? Oh yeah… that was definitely flirting" he snorted.

Hannah's eyes widened.

"Don't worry, Hermione is okay with it, actually it was her idea…" said Ron in a whisper.

 _Wait what?_

When Neville and Hannah and Harry were looking at him with incredulity he added:

"You know, she just thought a bit of innocent flirting is okay…."

Harry tried to understand what that meant.

"Actually Harry" Ron added, "She said you inspired her, mate" Ron snorted. "I know you like to flirt and as much as I trust you, I'm always here to keep you on a short leash…"

 _Well, not always…_

"Anyway, we agreed that we could flirt as long as it did not get too… well… risky."

Harry gaped at Ron.

He knew his friend had been very jealous for so long. What a change that was. Ron had always be very protective of Hermione, to the extent of being frankly irritating.

Harry had been the target of that jealousy during their Horcruxes hunt and had seen Ron behave like a total jerk to any guy that showed the slightest interest in Hermione.

He guessed time had changed that, and probably the Polyjuice experiment but was still very taken aback by the news.

"And you agreed on that?" asked Harry, just to make sure, "Hermione can flirt too?"

"Yeah, she can flirt, as long as she comes back to me at the end of the day"

Ron answered cooly.

Harry was really surprised but Ron seemed so happy that Harry just blinked and accepted his friend's statement in bewilderment.

Neville looked in awe and turned his eyes to Hannah, his wife.

"Don't even think about it, dear" she told him, eyes narrowed. They all laughed.

When Harry came back from the pub, Ginny was already asleep. He did not often come back that late but tonight he had felt like hanging with his friends. Ginny was lying flat on her stomach; her naked back was only half covered by the sheets, but a roaring fire was alight in the chimney, so it was nice and warm in the room even if it was almost winter. Harry could see the tiny stag Ginny had tattooed on her shoulder galloping from side to side. She had done it years ago, when Harry was often away, on missions. She had said that this way, he would always be there with her.

She looked gorgeous, her naked back covered in freckles, her arms over her head and her long, red hair spread everywhere.

Harry undressed and brushed his teeth, watching his reflexion in the mirror.

He had small wrinkles on the side of his eyes, his jet-black beard was starting to show again. He took off his glasses and went to bed, kissing Ginny on the corner of her mouth.

She groaned, and Harry chuckled. She always groaned when she didn't want to wake up. Harry let her sleep and closed his eyes. The events of the last two days flashed in his mind.

 _So, I flirted with Hermione, her libido is mad according to Ron, and they have agreed they could flirt around._

This summary seemed correct to Harry.

And Hermione being allowed to flirt certainly made him relax about their previous lunches. Somehow Hermione had managed to make it alright.

Some small voice in his head was trying to tell him that this flirting policy Ginny and he had, and Ron and Hermione had now too, did not entirely apply to this case.

But Harry was not listening to that voice, it was, after all, very, very small.

Because another voice told him, and it sounded like a howler in his head, that he was not breaking any rules.


	10. Chapter 10 : Teenagers

Two chapters yesterday, Two more coming today!

I hope you enjoy reading them. If you do, let me know!

As you probably guessed, english is not my native language so, I do my best ;)

ooooooooooOooooooooooo

Christmas was approaching fast now and Ginny dragged Harry into shopping day telling him he needed new shirts. He let her choose for him.

Their children were awaited the next week-end, so Harry and Ginny also bought new Quidditch robes for James, an advanced lunascope for Albus and got Lily a nice golden Chess set.

They also bought a variety of Weasley Wizards Wheezes for all the kids. Harry had a hard time convincing George to let him pay for it.

And of course, Harry got a set of books about Defense against the Dark Arts for Teddy.

They had seen him for dinner almost every night since he had come back.

At first, Teddy had seemed happy to be on his own, to go out and do whatever he wanted. His hair had been shiny black, his eyes deep blue. But now, Harry thought Teddy looked grim. His hair had lost their glow and his eyes were grey.

He tried to talk to Teddy about it but he did not get anywhere. He had gone out with Teddy himself a couple times. They had drinks, lengthy talks about their jobs - Teddy was very frustrated by his these days - and a fun encounter with Seamus, Lavender and Neville. Teddy never showed the slightest interest in women on these nights, as far as Harry could see.

When Harry asked Teddy if he wanted to invite Andromeda to join them for Christmas, Teddy explained that his grandmother was not well and that he should probably stay with her for the holidays.

Harry understood and felt bad for Teddy, Andromeda was his only living relative and she had raised him with a lot of love. She was now very old, and though Harry occasionally visited her when Teddy left for France, he had no idea her health was bad.

Harry suspected that Teddy might not be very comfortable with the idea of facing a lot of the Weasley's after his breakup with Victoire.

"You know Teddy, we'll only go to the Burrow on the 25th… you can stay with us until then, I understand if you don't feel comfortable to see Molly and Arthur right now..." Harry offered.

Teddy nodded, full of gratitude.

"Will Victoire and her family be there?" he asked, in a quiet voice.

"I think Bill and Fleur are going to Gabrielle's this Christmas. And I guess Victoire, Dominique and Louis will follow…" answered Harry.

Teddy nodded again.

Christmas at the Burrow was sometimes very crowded. Last year, they had all spent a couple of days there. All six Weasley children plus their partners and kids and Teddy. Harry remembered the noise with all the children laughing and joking at each other. Most of the kids were at Hogwarts together, but when they were all at the Burrow it was a real mess. A good one. And of course they were thrilled to see Teddy and Victoire again, since they had left the country one year ago. Harry had loved it. Having such a big family was a dream he never thought would come true.

This year however, would not be as crowded. Only Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, George and Angelina were staying at the Burrow. Plus the kids. Still, Harry was looking forward to it.

For New year's eve, Harry and Ginny had planned a big party at their house. Friends were awaited, some they had not seen in a long time.

Ron and Hermione of course would be there, but also Neville and Hannah, Dean, Seamus, Lavender, Cho and Michael, Angelina and George, Ginny's old Harpies teammates (Harry was concerned they might blow up the house) and of course, Luna and Rolf. Harry was thrilled to see Luna again. She had been traveling for the past two years with Rolf, as Magizoologists. Harry thought Ginny might have invited a few more. To be honest, he had lost track and simply let her organize the whole thing.

With the buzz of the holidays approaching and all the organization it meant, plus the work waiting for Harry, he and Hermione had simply not found the time to have lunch together again.

ooooooooooOooooooooo

"Chief Potter!" said Eliza, as Harry was about to go home on his last day of work before his kids were supposed to be back from school. "I have something you asked for!"

Harry was already putting his cloak on when she handed him a file. He looked at her inquisitively, hoping it was no urgent business.

"It's the personal informations you asked, about that application for Auror training" Eliza explained. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get it but it was tricky. That one did not want us to know who he was, at least not until you had agreed to interview him based on his Newts and professional experience" Eliza went on.

"Anyway, I tracked him down, in the end" she added proudly.

Harry beamed at her. Eliza was very efficient and loyal to Harry.

"Thank you Eliza! I have been curious to know more about that one before I meet him!" Harry answered, "Have a nice holiday Eliza!" he added, smiling warmly at her.

"You too, Chief!" beamed Eliza, clearly thrilled that Harry was happy with her.

Harry put the file under his jacket and was off.

By noon the next day, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were all standing on the train platform, waiting for their kids.

When Lily got out of the train, she ran towards her father, shrieking with glee, jumping in his arms.

She then hugged her mother warmly and turned to high five with Ron while she hugged Hermione. Albus was right behind her, smiling timidly at his parents. They hugged. Albus then went to cheer his aunt and uncle. He was close with Hermione. He always had been. Somehow Harry thought that Albus was so alike his father (not only in looks), it was only natural that he should feel so at ease with Hermione. She had been Harry's best friend forever and knew him so well, she probably saw right through Albus too.

Hugo was running towards his parents now, a big smile on his face. And Rose was following. She had grown up. She looked like Hermione a lot. Except she was ginger.

But she was all bushy hair and smarts, that one. Harry loved her very much.

Last to arrive was James. Almost sixteen, tall and dark, a brooding teenager.

Harry heard Ginny say "oh oh" when she spotted her elder son.

He sure did look grumpy today. They were not used to it. James was usually all jokes and laughs. Harry was not concerned for too long tough, because once James had hugged his parents he looked at Ron straight in the eye and said :

"Uncle Ron, did you swallow a love potion again? you look way too cheerful!"

They all laughed.

"Your father told you about that one heh?" asked Ron, amused but scowling. "Be sure to ask him about the time he arrested your mother someday…"

Harry gaped. That was not a story he wanted to share with his kids. At least not until they were all off age.

But of course, James had gasped and turned to Harry and Ginny at Ron's word.

"Smart one, Ron" Harry said, shaking his head at his friend.

Ron laughed. Ginny looked furious.

They made their way back to Harry and Ginny's house for lunch and Harry was happy to see his home full of children laughter again.

James was joking at everyone, catching up with his favorite uncle Ron (him and George were both James favorites) while Lily was snuggled against her mother.

Rose and Albus were talking OWLs with Hermione. Hugo was reading a book on the floor.

"Come on, Al, you can't be serious about OWL's yet? I'm the one taking the exams this year! Do you see me worrying?!" James laughed at his brother, in disbelief.

Rose frowned.

"Sorry if _we_ are being serious about our studies, James!" answered Rose smuggly.

These two, James and Rose, had the same dynamic that Ron and Hermione used to have. Except they were cousins.

"It's not only the studies you are serious about these days… or did you take Slytherin studies too?" James blurted out, in a tone full of implication.

Rose blushed hard. Harry had to suppress a laugh, she looked a lot like her mother when she blushed.

Albus seemed tense, his teeth clenched together.

Ron frowned. Harry saw Hermione shake her head at her husband to prevent him from asking anything.

But it was Hugo that broke all hell loose when he simply said:

"I like Scorpius"

 _Oh my…_

Ron turned deep red. Hermione was livid. Rose left the room, crying.

"James you stupid prick!" said Lily as she ran after Rose.

James scowled and left for his room too.

Albus got up in silence, his teeth still clenched, closed his book and left without a glance to his parents.

Now only Hugo was left with them.

"Sorry… did I say anything I shouldn't?" he asked, his ears red.

Hugo was like Ron, loyal and gentle but sometimes he just had no idea he could say stupid things.

"No, honey, don't worry, I'm sure it's fine…" started Hermione

But she was cut across by Ron.

"Hugo, is Rose going out with Scorpius Malfoy?" he asked, looking terrified.

Hugo simply nodded and looked at his feet.

Ron swore loudly. Hermione said : "Ron!" in a reproachful tone.

It was only fifteen minutes later that Harry went to find Ron outside. He was hiding behind the guest house, rolling a joint.

Harry looked at him in incredulity.

"Really Ron? A joint with the kids here?" he asked, full of reproach.

"Yeah, well, sorry mate if I don't cope great with my little girl snogging a Malfoy!" Ron spat.

Harry laughed. Sure he had been surprised when Albus's had finally confided in him about his friendship with Scorpius two years ago, but he had gotten used to it.

"I was surprised too, at first, when Albus told me they were friends…" Harry started.

"Friends? Friends?" Ron shrieked hysterically. "Sorry Harry but it's nowhere near the same. It's not your kid the git is snogging! What am I going to do when they wanna get married and fucking Draco is standing there? or worst, Lucius!" Ron spat, looking very disturbed.

He still hadn't managed to roll his joint for his hands were trembling so much.

Harry wanted to laugh. But then he realised Ron's anxiety was genuine.

"Okay, relax mate, they are 13', not getting married!" he started.

"And besides, I'm sure Scorpius is cool and a good kid, otherwise Albus would not be friends with him. And nor would Rose." Harry added, trying to calm Ron down.

Ron snorted.

"Yeah, as if! Malfoy' son, a good kid? And should I remind you that I married my Hogwarts girlfriend!" Ron answered, still looking beside himself. "Fuck that shit" he growled, tossing the tobacco and pot on the ground, incapable of rolling the joint.

Harry breathed deeply and put his hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Well, technically, you never dated Hermione at Hogwarts" Harry reminded him "And not a lot of school old couples lasted. I think you just need to relax and let them live what they have to…" Harry tried.

Ron inhaled and exhaled loudly.

"Still" Ron started in a calmer voice, "I don't like the idea of that git snogging my girl!" he said, horror in his eyes."They're too young anyway" he stated forcefully.

"I think _we_ were the retarded ones, on that matter" snorted Harry.

Ron actually laughed at this and nodded in agreement.

"We were…" Ron conceded. "I heard from Neville that James is nowhere near as prude as we were…" he added, looking at Harry.

Harry suddenly looked very serious.

"Yes, so have I… He seems to move from girl to girl quite easily... " said Harry, now concerned. "I hope he's not breaking too many hearts"

"Too many knickers, more likely" Ron snorted.

Harry looked up. He did not know if he wanted to laugh or feel concerned. James was only sixteen. And the girls he was dating could not be much older… He pushed the thought aside.

 _For now._

When Harry and Ron re-entered the house, Ron's spirits were good again. Hermione watched them carefully and when she saw Ron smiling, she silently mouthed "thank you" to Harry, who nodded.

He was used to stop Ron's tantrums. Even though he certainly did understand about his friend's concern on that particular subject. Harry was not looking forward for the day Lily would have a boyfriend…

As for Scorpius, he had never actually met the boy. Albus had never asked to invite him home and Harry had only ever glimpsed him on the train platform.

Thankfully, Scorpius had not asked Albus home either. Harry thought hard about how he would cope with that if it ever happened.

True, Draco had changed. He had served for the ministry after the battle. He had been penniless but still found a way to pay his huge fine to the Ministry after a few years of hard work. He was now working for a private company who dealt with gold exchange at Gringotts. He was never reported of any dark activities and his wife actually seemed to be a nice person. On the rare occasions Harry had seen him, Draco had politely nodded in his direction, his face neutral. But delivering his son to Draco…

 _Thank god the boys know better to ask…_

They were not stupid. Far from it. Scorpius was the best student of his year, after Rose of course. And Albus managed to get fair grades too. Harry was very proud of him.

They knew about their fathers enmity and probably thought they should not ask.

All in all, this family reunion had not gone the way Harry had expected. Rose had been hiding in her room with Lily. James was strutting the house as if nothing had happened but Albus was still skulking in his bedroom and Harry could not understand why. Maybe he didn't like to have to share his best friend with Rose?

Hugo was still feeling bad about his blunder.

So when Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione finally sat together late that night for a last drink, they all sighed deeply.

"Teenagers" roared Ginny slouching on the couch, looking exhausted."I just spent an hour trying to make Lily go to bed… she said she can't, Rose needs her because the boys were so stupid…" explained Ginny, "Well I can't really argue with her…"

"James was foolish" said Harry, "He didn't think, he just wanted to be the joker, as usual.."

"I know Harry!" answered Ginny, "but look a the mess he's made! And it's only the first day of the holidays too!" she growled.

"Rose is going to be fine" Hermione said calmly. "She just needs to digest that her secret is out…" she said, ruefully.

Ron looked a her with narrowed eyes. He got up and rounded on his wife.

"Wait, wait, Hermione… Did you know about all that?" he asked, menacing. "She told you in a letter, didn't she?"

Hermione sighed and looked at Ron "Yes. She was very worried of your reaction… obviously…" said Hermione, eyeing him reproachfully.

"You should have told me!" Ron shouted at once. "I looked like a bloody idiot! If I had known, I could have prepared for it!"

"You did look like an idiot" confirmed Ginny, pitiless.

"Gin!" Harry tried to warn her

"No Harry, it's fine, just let my sister tell me what she needs to tell me!" said Ron, savagely and glaring at Ginny.

"Only that you are a fool, if you think you can have any control over Rose on that matter" Ginny answered, pitiless, also jumping on her feet.

Ron growled. He knew she was right. But he did not like to hear it, especially not from Ginny.

"Calm down, both of you" intervened Harry. "This is stupid. Our kids are growing up, they are bound to make mistakes, we all did!" he added.

Hermione nodded in earnest.

"Anyway, Scorpius is really nice, according to Albus" Ginny tried, in an attempt to defuse the tension.

Ron snorted again.

"It might take me awhile to get used to the idea" he shivered "brrrrr Malfoy's hands on my Rosie"

Ginny actually laughed.

"Ron, Scorpius is not his father. He's Albus's best friend and a top student." she said, reassuringly. "And quite handsome, I must admit" Ginny added simply.

Ron mimicked vomiting.

"I've never really paid any attention to the kid… when I saw him I just thought he looked like a mini version of Malfoy" said Ron looking expectantly at his wife.

"Well, he is" confirmed Hermione.

Ron eyes were narrowed again and he looked from Hermione's to Ginny's amused faces. And horror struck him.

"No way. No, no, can't hear that." he said, looking horror struck towards Harry.

Harry was not so prompt to draw conclusions as Ron was, so he just sat in silence, trying to make sense of what he had just heard.

Hermione and Ginny were looking at them both with pity.

"Come on boys, after all this time? You still resent Draco so much?" asked Hermione looking at them, amused.

"He tortured you!" shouted Ron, outraged.

"No he didn't, Bellatrix did." answered Hermione, simply.

"Still! He was an awful, treacherous, evil, ugly beast!" Ron spat at Hermione.

"Well" Ginny said "he was, awful, treacherous and evil. But he never was ugly…"

 _You're kidding right?_

Harry got to his feet to. He looked madly from Ginny to Hermione to get a confirmation.

"He was actually quite good looking" consented Hermione, paradoxically taking a disgusted face.

Ron just whimpered and looked at Harry, lost for words.

Harry didn't really know what to say either because he never even imagined that Ginny and Hermione might have thought Malfoy was fanciable.

The girls laughed again, looking at the boys' bewildered faces.

"Well that's… that's… something I never thought I would hear…" Harry admitted in a faint voice.

And then he started to laugh. Hard. The situation was just too ridiculous. Ron frowned at him but after a few seconds his solemn face broke into a smile and he joined in.

The four of them were laughing more than they had in very long time.


	11. Chapter 11 : Boys and Brothers

Hey ! This chapter is more family-centric, watch out for the next one, for it's going to be New Year Eve's Party, and I won't say anymore about it right now ;)

Please, review if you enjoy this. Keeps me motivated :)

ooooooooooooooooooooooOoooooooooooooooooooooooo

The mood at the Burrow was not as joyful as Harry had hoped.

The kids were still glaring at each others. James was teasing Rose a lot about Scorpius and Lily was very angry with her brother. Albus kept to himself a lot, a sudden change, as he was usually always hanging with Rose when they were at home. Hugo was trying to find his place in this mayhem.

Molly had been looking at Harry reproachfully since he had arrived and he suspected she was waiting to corner him about Teddy.

 _Thank god she doesn't know what I told him..._

After a not so cheerful morning, they all sat for lunch, the smell was tantalizing and Harry managed to forget his moody kids when he saw Molly arriving with a gigantic pot of Veal stew.

"So, Harry, is Teddy going to drop by today?" Molly asked, feigning innocence.

Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry all looked at each others.

"I don't think so Molly, he said Andromeda needed him"

"Humm" said Molly, her lips pursed.

"I just thought… Victoire said she might apparate here before New year's eve…"

"Well, I will let Teddy know about that" Harry assured her.

Molly did not talk about it anymore and Harry finally relaxed.

His relaxed state did not last very long though. After dinner, as they were having tea, Harry heard Albus shout, so loud that all the occupants of the kitchen jumped as one. Harry quickly got to his feet and took his wand out, Ron beside him.

Harry perused the kitchen to check if anyone else was missing. James was nowhere to be seen.

Running up the stairs, Harry located them, right in front of Albus's opened bedroom door. Harry had never seen his son in such a state. He looked extremely mad, his face red, his shoulders trembling furiously, his wand raised.

In front of the distraught Albus stood James who did not look as self-confident as usual.

Harry quickly threw a protective spell around James, who glanced at his father and shrugged awkwardly.

"It was just a joke dad!" he said, looking worried.

"YOU STUPID PRICK! I'M TIRED OF YOUR JOKES! THIS IS NOT A JOKE!" shouted Albus, his face contorted.

"Enough now!" Harry raised his voice. "Tell me what is going on!"

Albus suddenly registered his father presence and hurried in his room.

Harry shouted for him to wait but Albus shut his door and Harry heard it click.

He rounded on James who was still looking at the door in disbelief.

"What did you say to him?" asked Harry, very sternly.

"It was nothing dad! Just a joke" James defended himself.

Harry looked at him with the Auror look and he saw James shrink under his stare.

"I just… I was making fun of him because he was so sulky since we got here…"

"And?" prompted Harry.

"And…." started James looking shameful, "And I said that he was hiding from Rose because he was jealous of her…" James continued, shrinking even more, "I said I knew he wished _he_ was snogging Scorpius instead of her! I'm sorry dad!" finished James, looking mortified.

 _What the hell ?_

Harry took a step back.

He turned around to see Ron, Hermione and Ginny looking just as bewildered as he felt.

"James, please go to your room and wait for me there" said Harry after he had recovered his voice.

He looked resolutely at his friends and wife before knocking on Albus's door.

"Go away!" he heard through the door.

"Albus, it's me, open the door please" said Harry calmly.

"Just go away dad, please!" he heard Albus cry.

Albus was obviously distraught.

Harry felt immensely distressed and sad for his son but he knew better than to impose himself when Albus was in such a state.

He looked helplessly at Ginny, who did not even acknowledge him. She was still staring at Albus's door.

"I think, maybe you should give him some time… to calm down" suggested Hermione, sympathetic.

Harry hesitated but had to admit she was probably right.

He took a deep breath and knocked on James' door instead. He pushed it open and saw his son sitting on his bed, looking nervous.

"James, whatever happened to you for being so insensitive to your brother?" Harry asked, calmly.

James sniffed and Harry tried to recall the last time he had seen James crying. He couldn't remember. He walked towards the bed and sat next to his son, squeezing his shoulder gently. James slowly looked up at his father.

"I'm so sorry dad, I had no idea, I was just joking…" James said, in a sad voice.

"Well, you need to be more attentive to other people feelings. You've hurt Rose, and now you've hurt Albus…" Harry shook his head.

"Tell me what is going on with you. Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

James looked at his father for a moment without saying a word. When he finally opened his mouth he said : "You can't tell mum…"

"I'll be the judge of what I tell your mother, James…" Harry answered flatly

"But you can trust me to filter anything I think she does not need to know…" he added more gently.

James looked at his father, full of hope.

"Well, It's just… I was dating Sarah, and then Mary. But then I fancied Hestia…" Harry closed his eyes. His son really was a going from girls to girls… He tried not to scowl. Or smile.

"But well.. it didn't work out. And then I realised that it was actually Violet that I really liked from the start… only, she said I was just a _pompous prat_ when I asked her out!"

Harry actually laughed, a tear in the eye.

James looked at him, affronted.

"Dad, I'm actually sharing with you now! And you were all about being sensitive with others!" he said, reproachfully.

"I'm sorry James" Harry laughed, "You just remind me of your grandfather so much"

James looked intrigued.

"I never really knew my father, but I've learned a lot about him throughout the years. And… well. James, my father, was a charmer, not unlike yourself. And I know for a fact that his future wife used to call him "a pompous prat" once…" Harry smiled.

"Lily" said James surprised, "my grandmother"

Of course Harry's children knew all about their grandparents.

James smiled. "I never knew that" he stated.

Harry smiled at him before looking a bit stern again.

"James, I don't want to interfere but I must warn you about going from girl to girl. You hurt them. You do. Be sensitive James. Just think more before you act, please." Harry said seriously.

James nodded shamefully.

"And as for this… Violet… I'm sure she must be quite a great girl, if you like her so much… And if you do, you'll find your way to her, just be patient" Harry told his son. "And maybe, don't strut the castle that much with every Hogwarts girls on your arm for a while..." he added as an afterthought.

James managed a small smile.

"You will have to apologize to Rose and Albus. And I trust you'll respect your brother and his privacy?" Harry added sternly.

James nodded sadly.

"Are we good James?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, dad, thanks…"

"We all make mistakes, James, just learn from them please…" finished Harry.

James nodded as his father got up to leave the room.

"Dad!" he suddenly said, "about mistakes, care to tell me about the time you arrested mum?" tried James, a mischievous smile on his lips.

Harry laughed and closed the door.

He found himself on the threshold between his son's rooms again. He was about to knock on Albus' door when the door opened quietly. It was Ginny.

"How is he?" asked Harry.

"Sleeping… He was not making any sense Harry! I had to give him some soothing potion… and he fell asleep." she explained, concerned.

"Did he say something about the argument?" asked Harry a little tense.

Ginny shook her head. She bore into Harry's eyes, trying to see what he thought.

"Best if we let him rest for now" said Harry, "We'll talk to him in the morning".

They went downstairs, feeling every eyes on them, Harry inhaled deeply.

"It's okay, don't worry… brothers tantrum… I'm sure you've known worst Arthur and Molly!" he said gravely.

Arthur let out a nervous laugh.

Everybody relaxed and resumed their activity. Ginny opened another bottle of wine and sat across her father.

Only Hermione was looking at Harry, concerned.

He moved his head towards the exit of the kitchen and she got up immediately to follow him.

"Harry, what happened? Are the boys all right?" she asked straight away.

"James is okay". Harry told her. "But I haven't talked to Albus yet… Hermione what was that all about?" he asked her, needing her to help him understand.

"Well, it's not me you should ask, it's Albus…" she looked at Harry in the eyes.

There it was, the confirmation that Hermione had understood the same thing he had.

 _If Hermione thinks it too, It must be right…_

"Do you think he's…" Harry breathed deeply. "Do you think Albus is in love with Scorpius?" he finally asked.

Hermione smiled at Harry, reassuringly.

"He might. You need to talk to him, not me, but Harry, I think he might".

Harry sat on the ground and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

 _My son loves boys. My son loves boys. Okay. I just need a minute to get used to it._

Hermione seemed to sense his struggle for she sat on the ground next to him and squeezed his shoulders. He looked at her. She kissed his cheek softly.

"You're a good father Harry, I know you are. Just be patient with Albus, let him come to you when he's ready…" Hermione said, taking his hand in hers.

Harry nodded. It felt good to have Hermione with him, to feel her hand in his. They had not been alone together since their last lunch. They stayed under the starry sky for a while, hand in hand, in silence.

When Albus didn't come out for breakfast the next morning, Harry just let him be. But when it was time for them to take the floo powder back home Harry had no choice than to knock on Albus door.

"Albus, are you alright?" Harry asked gently through the door. "We are supposed to leave now, but if you'd rather stay a little longer, I'm just going to wait for you downstairs."

He heard a faint voice answer :

"I can't leave, not right now".

"Okay, just come downstairs when you're ready, the others are all leaving now" Harry explained.

He drank three cups of tea and had to refuse a third serving of Molly's ginger biscuits before Albus arrived.

He looked dreadful. Not looking at his father in the eye, he walked towards the chimney and waited in the crate, floo powder in his hand.

Harry felt so sorry for Albus. To see him so distressed was torture. He walked towards the chimney and took some powder too.

They saluted Arthur and Molly and were gone.

When they arrived, Albus detached himself from Harry right away and ran for his room. Harry was troubled.

 _How do I talk to him if he can't even look at me?_

Acting on impulse, Harry ran after Albus and managed to block the door before his son had locked it. Albus looked at his father in terror.

"Albus, I'm sorry. It won't take long. I have only one thing to say. Please listen to me" he said through the small opening of the door. He heard Albus quieting on the other side.

"I love you. Exactly how you are. Whatever might cross your mind, just know that I'm here for you. I won't push you. I won't ask questions until you come to me. I love you. Trust me" Harry said, his heart in his throat.

Harry heard a faint sniff and finally let go of the door.

It had been a very strange holiday.

Ginny had deduced the same that Harry had about Albus but they did not discuss it much. They simply assured each other that they would let Albus come to them and that they loved him very much. Albus had not talked about the event of that day to Harry or Ginny but he seemed to feel good at home again.

James was being very polite to his brother since the incident. Albus was looking at him suspiciously but seemed rather relieved to be left in peace. Lily was not aware of any of it and she was just as cheerful as ever, once James had apologized to Rose. The glare she had shot at her brother when he had started his apologies reminded Harry very much of Ginny when she was mad at Ron.

They spent two days at home, just the five of them, before Teddy arrived.

The moment Lily saw him, she jumped in his arms and shrieked in delight like she had done to Harry after coming back from Hogwarts.

Teddy was sort of a half god when it came to Harry's children. But he looked very down. Harry passed him the information that Victoire was supposed to pop at the Burrow very soon and his face illuminated.

Harry beamed at him.

 _There it is, win her back Teddy!_

"And of course, you are welcome to our New Year's Eve party Teddy, but I gather you already have plans?" Harry asked.

"I might drop in before joining my friends later" Teddy had thanked Harry.

Ginny was preparing for the party. She had ordered food and drinks in what Harry thought was an overly large quantity. He asked her again how many people were supposed to attend but he lost count again.

Ginny simply said that she intended to have lots of fun at her own party.

The christmas decorations were everywhere Harry looked. Ginny had also enchanted mistletoe to appear at random places of the house before disappearing to another location. He discovered them one after the other, laughing everytime Ginny pointed above his head and came forward for a kiss.

As for the kids, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione had arranged that they would all stay together at the Burrow on the night of the party.

On the last day before the party, Harry went to his office on the second floor of his house and decided to check with the office if anything important required his attention.

He saw a file on his desk and suddenly remembered about that Auror application Eliza had given him a few days ago. He had not really forgotten about it but the events of the last few days had made him focus on family first.

Harry opened the file and gasped loudly. Teddy was smiling and winking at him, all the while screwing his face and changing his hair from black to bright blue.

Harry pulled the file down and sighed. Teddy had not told him anything about his application, of course, because he wanted Harry to treat him like any other applicant.

Harry had mixed feelings about Teddy's application. On the on hand, he was a very good candidate, and Harry was sure Teddy would perform brilliantly as a trainee and that he could trust his godson. On the other hand… Teddy's mother had been an Auror. And she had died that night, at Hogwarts. Harry still had a hard time believing Nymphadora Tonks could have died when she was so full of life, young, funny and just had a son.

He would need to discuss this with Teddy.

Harry sighed again and put the file aside. He already knew every personal information he needed about Teddy.


	12. Chapter 12 : Last day, first taste

Hello ! This is the begining of a serie of much... steamier chapters...

Here we go, for New Year Eve's Party !

As usual, please let me know if you enjoyed it.

oooooooooooooooooOoooooooooooooooooooo

On the last day of the year, James, Albus and Lily flooed to the Burrow after lunch and Ron and Hermione apparated soon after that. They helped Harry and Ginny preparing the house for all their guests.

Ron was mumbling about being tired of hanging gold and copper fairy lights all around the house when he managed to corner Hermione under one of the enchanted mistletoe and kissed her fiercely.

"I can't wait for this party to start!" he exclaimed when he had let go of Hermione.

And soon, it began.

Neville and Hannah were there first, and Harry made sure with Neville that he would keep a closer look on James for him once he would be back at Hogwarts. He was not sure his son would give up that easily on his womanizing mania.

But then, Luna and Rolf showed up and Harry could hear shrieks coming from Ginny as she ran towards her friend. But Ron got there first, he lifted Luna from the floor and turned her around in his arms before hugging her.

"Are you done?" asked Ginny, laughing.

"Sorry, Luna, I just really missed you!" said Ron, happily, while shooting an apologetic glance at Rolf, who just smiled.

"It's quite alright, I've been missing you too Ronald!" said Luna.

She hugged all of them and smiled at everyone.

The party began, butterbeers were distributed, laughs and jokes were exchanged. Soon George and Angelina had arrived, as well as Seamus and Lavender. Dean came in later, looking handsome in a black muggle suit. Around 9PM, a fiery noise was heard as 4 of Ginny's old Harpies teammates entered the fray, followed by a few men Harry did not know and seemed to be friends with the Harpies.

It was very noisy in the house but Harry was enjoying himself. He was talking to Hannah when he heard catcalls across the room. He turned to see Ron and Lavender who were just talking a second ago looking up to the ceiling where a bunch of mistletoe had just appeared.

Ron chuckled as Lavender eyed him, obviously very amused.

Everybody was cheering them but Harry was looking for Hermione in the crowd. She was immersed in conversation with Angelina and merely glanced at the scene before resuming her sentence in an unconcerned way.

Harry looked at Ron again. Lavender had caught him around the neck and was kissing him while everybody laughed. Ron seemed a bit embarrassed when they detached but smiled awkwardly and soon joined the general laughter.

"Well, we had not done that for more than 20 years!" joked Lavender.

Several scenes like that occurred during the next hour. Hannah and Dean had exchanged a light kiss when they found themselves under the enchanted mistletoe. So did Luna and Neville (who looked helplessly at his wife).

But the funniest one had been when the mistletoe had appeared over George and Seamus heads. Everybody laughed hard as George took Seamus head and pretended to kiss him passionately.

Spirits were starting to be even more joyful due to the amount of butterbeer that was served. Harry went to get more bottles and was touring the room to offer a refill to anyone that needed one. He caught Cho's eye and they started talking about work. Cho was a senior Healer at St Mungo. She and Harry did not often see each other but anytime an Auror was hurt, Cho was Harry's reliable correspondent.

Harry heard a few people laugh and gasp at them. He closed his eyes, cursing Ginny in his head before looking up.

 _Of course, mistletoe..._

He looked down at Cho, who seemed a little embarrassed.

"Hum… I honestly did not see that coming" he said to her. "We don't _have_ to…"

She had a shy smile.

"Well, I guess we are destined to kiss only under the mistletoe…" she chuckled.

Harry smiled stupidly. They both bent towards each other and kissed, very lightly.

The crowd cheered and Harry and Cho laughed a bit uncomfortably.

Harry's eyes were looking for Ginny. She rolled her eyes at him but then she winked and Harry understood that everything was alright. After all it was Ginny's stupid idea.

And she soon got a taste of her own little joke when Seamus cornered her under the mistletoe. She pretended to fight him but soon planted a kiss on his lips and smiled mischievously around the room, challenging them all to play the game as well as they had. Seamus shot a nervous glance at Harry who pretended not to notice.

The Harpies were now singing a very coarse song, Ginny amongst them. Firewhiskey was being poured into glasses. Ron was talking to Luna and laughing louder than anyone in the room while Dean and a Harpy were dancing wildly.

George and Angelina were also dancing and laughing, colliding with anyone passing nearby.

Harry found his way towards Ron, dodging the drunk dancers. He felt a bit drunk himself, just enough to smile at everyone and laugh at every joke. Luna and Rolf were talking to Ron about their recent travel in Finland and their discoveries of a new specie of fantastic beast.

Harry sought for Hermione again, in all that hubbub, he had barely spoken to her tonight. She was talking enthusiastically with Cho now and when she saw Harry she smiled and waved at him. She was wearing a simple purple dress, her hair messy around her head. She was looking very nice and her rosy cheeks indicated that she had drunk quite a lot too.

He was making up his mind about going to talk to her when he heard more cheers and catcalls.

Harry turned around only to see Ginny closely entangled with Dean, kissing him fiercely under the mistletoe. Ginny's hands were around his neck and she was putting a lot of energy and tongue into the kiss. Dean's hands had made their way towards her butt and Harry felt his face getting very cold.

He felt like he was transported 20 years back, when he last saw Ginny and Dean kissing. He watched as his wife hips flattened against Dean's body.

 _Okay… so, she really meant it when she said she wanted to have fun tonight…_

He felt a surge of hatred but, against his will, he could also feel, well… arousal.

He wanted to smash Dean. But somewhere deep in his guts, what he was watching was making his body react. How confusing.

He stood there, watching them, his hand clenched around his wand in his pocket, when Seamus and Lavender came and offered him a glass of Firewhiskey.

Harry drained the glass.

He felt rooted to the spot. Ginny released Dean at last and Harry breathed again. Maybe he should have acted, hexed Dean? Yelled at Ginny? He wasn't exactly sure why he had not done anything. He was usually a man of action. All he knew was that at that moment, he couldn't bare watching his wife or Dean for a second longer.

But Lavender chose that moment to point at the ceiling above his head, gasping.

Harry did not think twice. He caught Lavender by the hips and brought her flat against his body before kissing her. He did not put the tongue in. But he felt better. He hoped Ginny was watching. Lavender slowly detached herself, patting Harry's cheek, her eyes glinting, her smile wide.

"I always thought you were a wild one…" she said, awe and amusement in her voice.

Not long before midnight, no one really remembered how many people they had kissed. It looked like most of them acted like teenagers again tonight. Harry was staying away from Ginny, who was having way too much fun with her Harpy friends to notice anyway.

Firewhiskey supply was getting low and Harry left to get more from the basement.

Bottles in his arms, he tripped on the first stair on his way up and nearly crashed all his load. Harry cursed to himself and tried to regain his balance.

"Need any help?"

Harry almost tripped again in surprise.

Hermione was standing at the top of the stairs. From his position, Harry could see her slim legs all the way up to her mid thighs, where her dress started. She was holding the door frame to keep her balance and was obviously quite drunk too. He suddenly felt much lighter.

"I'm not sure I should ask _you_ " Harry mocked while ascending towards her.

She stuck out her tongue at him.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Harry asked her.

"I am!" she answered, smiling. "Though not as much as you, it seems!" she added, winking at him.

She was referring to his kisses with Cho and Lavender. Harry snorted darkly.

"Yeah well, someone told me tonight is for fun, so, I'm not going to miss any of it" Harry answered, looking at Hermione. "How come I haven't seen you kissing anyone?" Harry asked, suddenly curious.

Hermione smiled with some pride.

"Actually, I found out that I am an expert at dodging enchanted mistletoe!" she explained, amused.

Harry shook his head at her.

"You're missing all the fun Hermione!"

"I'm not!" she rebelled. "I'm just not so inclined to kiss Rolf or Neville or Seamus or any of those Harpy guys…" she laughed.

Harry laughed with her.

They were still standing in the doorframe, looking at each other. Harry loaded with firewhiskey bottles.

"What about me?" he heard himself ask.

"Well... we won't know for sure because we haven't met under the mistletoe!" Hermione chuckled drunkenly, winking at him.

Harry's eyes sparkled.

He put the bottles down, on the floor and conjured two glasses.

Hermione was looking at him, curious, but he just filled both glasses with Firewhiskey and handed one to her.

"Happy New year Hermione! To your skills as a mistletoe dodger and your good judgments" he said handing his glass towards her. "And your amazing cleavage tonight" he added with a fleeting look towards her breasts.

Hermione looked at him, eyes wide but very amused.

"Happy New Year Harry! Cheers!" she answered, half laughing before clicking her glass with his.

They both drunk their firewhiskey, looking at each other in the eye.

They saw it at the same time and looked up simultaneously.

A tiny glow had appeared over their heads and a bud of mistletoe was slowly coming out.

They looked at it in silence for a few seconds before looking down at each other again.

"Well, I guess we are about to find out…" said Harry in a low, steady voice.

And then he leaned towards Hermione, gently caressing her cheek. Closing his eyes, Harry's lips went to graze Hermione's.

It lasted only a second and was soft and gentle. But when Harry reopened his eyes, a few inches from Hermione, he saw it.

Fire in her eyes. Darkness and sparkles.

He did not have time to register her look before she crashed her lips back to his.

And then the fire claimed them both.

Harry felt Hermione's mouth open and met her tongue. He found himself pushing her against the doorframe while they were kissing wildly.

He felt her hands in his hair, her breasts against his chest.

Harry's mind who had been blurred by alcohol suddenly was in ebullition. Everything seemed to make sense. Hermione who he knew so well, he could now taste her, touch her, hear her making sounds he had never heard from her… And it all felt so fucking good, unavoidable, maddeningly arousing.

He could hear her pant, exploring his mouth with her tongue, like she would never have enough. He mildly realised that one of his hands had traveled to her breasts and his hips were flat against her. He was lost in her, the feel of her under his hands. Why had they never done that before? Would they ever be able to stop?

He could feel himself grow hard. He could hear her moaning faintly from the feeling of his body crushed against hers, their tongues dancing madly.

The clock rang loudly and they heard a loud cheer.

 _Midnight_

They broke apart, panting from their passionate kiss, looking at each other in shock.

Hermione's dress was askew, she was breathing fast and her lips were swollen. Her arms were still around his neck and he could see in her eyes the same emotions he was going through himself : shock, obviousness, fear, hunger.

Harry felt the urge to devour her again but fought it, not wanting to miss any of what was going on in her eyes.

The mistletoe had long gone.

But still, no one spoke.

Harry knew he must look disheveled. His hair must be messy, his lips felt swollen and his could feel his erection. Hermione suddenly relaxed her grip on his neck and he reluctantly let her go.

"Happy New Year Harry" she finally said in a faint voice, not meeting his eyes. And then she was gone, running towards the living room.

Harry remained in the same spot for a few seconds, trying to ease his breathing and calm his body and thoughts.

 _What now?_

Panic was growing inside him, thankfully blurred again by firewhiskey.

He finally made his way towards the living room were everybody was celebrating and was immediately hugged by a lot of people. He could not see Hermione.

Ginny fell into his arms, drunk as hell, and kissed him. She tasted of Firewhiskey and smoke. But he probably did too.

"Happy New Year Harry" she said, hanging to his neck to keep her balance.

"Happy New Year Ginny" he answered, looking in her Firewhiskey glinting eyes.

She squeezed his bum and laughed.

Despite all the confusion and events of the night, Harry felt the urge to wrap his arms firmly around her, like he was holding on a lifeline.


	13. Chapter 13 : Confusion

When Harry woke up a few hours later, his head was still buzzing from the alcohol, his memories were all a blur but his body was very much awake.

He remembered Ginny kissing Dean. And he remembered Hermione. Her tongue in his mouth, her breast in his hands, her moans, the hunger in her eyes… he felt a jolt in his stomach.

Harry could hear Ginny snoring next to him and got closer to her, spooning her back, hiding nothing of his morning physical arousal.

She seemed to notice because she began to gently arch her backside against him.

And it didn't take long before she turned her head to kiss him, eyes closed.

He immediately forced his tongue in her mouth and started grinding unapologetically against her butt. She moaned.

"Fuck me" she asked after a minute, turning her head back away from him.

Silently, he slipped his hand under the sheets and tug her panties out of the way.

His fingers found their way to her warm and moist groin and he let his thumb circle her clit a few times before sliding two fingers inside of her. She gasped.

He was not being gentle at all, but she seemed to like it, slowly moving her hips to meet his fingers. He grabbed her breast with his free hand and squeezed hard.

"Please, fuck me" she pleaded, thrusting her hips on his now wet fingers.

Harry obliged. He hastily lowered the front part of his underwear and took a strong grip on her shoulder. He entered her in one harsh, rapid motion. She gasped loudly. His hand on her shoulder, he thrust forcefully into her from behind, making her moan almost painfully. His mind was oddly blank, only the physical relief mattered.

It was loud and rough, and when Harry felt Ginny starting to contract around his member he thrust into her even more forcefully. She screamed.

"You like that?" he asked, his voice very hoarse, thrusting madly, close to his own release.

"Yes!Yes!" she screamed in pleasure. Harry let go of himself and came inside her.

He was breathing heavily as he relaxed his grip on her shoulder.

His body still felt oddly tense, even after his orgasm. The relief he had been looking for never coming.

After a few seconds of silence, Ginny turned to look at him.

"Merlin Harry!" she said in a faint voice "I love it when you are rough like that" and she rolled over to get a few more hours of sleep.

-o-

It was a late breakfast that day. And the hungover was strong. Harry had barely managed to doze for a few minutes all morning while Ginny was snoring next to him.

He felt a physical tension he was not used to feel anymore. Like his body was trying to tell him something but his brain was too fuzzy to get it.

"It definitely was an interesting night…" said Ginny smiling teasingly over her mug of tea.

"Yeah, it was" answered Harry darkly.

The sexual tension he had been feeling since last night was only partially satisfied. He felt anger, confusing memories and a slight persistent arousal pushing him towards a provocative question:

"Did you enjoy kissing Dean?" he asked her, an edge of anger in his voice.

Her face fell.

"Come on Harry, it was all a game! You kissed Cho! And Lavender!"

 _And Hermione…_

"I know what I did. But did you enjoy kissing Dean?" he asked again.

Ginny seemed confused for a moment before answering:

"I… It was… different…" she admitted, shamefully, "I hope you're not mad at me Harry…" she started again, looking at him a bit fearfully.

"I don't know" Harry started, brow furrowed. "I think, somehow… I get it." he confessed. "It was not easy to watch though…"

"I'm sorry. It kind of got out of hand… I was a bit more drunk than I should have…" Ginny confessed, worried. "I got carried away. I'm sorry it happened at all" she said, looking apologetic.

"Did it turn you on?" asked Harry seriously.

Ginny gaped.

"I need to know. I saw how turned on you were for me this morning, did you think about that kiss, about Dean while we were doing it?" he asked her, with the very intimidating Auror look.

"Don't you use that look with me Harry!" Ginny answered angrily.

"Well, did you?" he urged her.

He wasn't sure exactly why he was pushing her like that. Maybe he needed to hear her say what he himself felt, maybe it would make his secret motives for having sex this morning okay too...

"What if I did?" she asked angrily, "Maybe I did! Maybe I wanted Dean to fuck me!" she provoked.

Harry glared at her. Ginny was not someone you provoked and got away with.

"Look…" she started again, calmer, "I love you. I want you. But sometimes I just feel desire for other men, is that so bad?" she asked, now tearful and concerned again.

Harry watched her tearful face silently.

He knew exactly what she meant.

"No. I guess it's… not so unusual... " Harry stated, thoughtful.

"Exactly! Don't tell me you never thought of other women when we're having sex…" she said eyeing him suspiciously.

Harry didn't say anything.

"And it's okay, Harry! I mean we've been together for over 20 years! We can't expect to last that long without some fantasies about others…"

Harry finally nodded. He could not argue with what she was saying, even if he really didn't like it.

"So, if you could. And it's a big IF, if you could have sex with Dean, without me being mad, would you do it?" he asked, watching her intently.

She looked down for a few seconds.

"Is it a trick question?" she asked.

"No"

She hesitated before answering, in a low voice, not meeting his eyes:

"Then, I guess… if you were really okay with it, or… if you were there too... I might do it, yes."

Harry leaned back on his chair, his eyes wide and thinking madly.

Was she proposing a threesome? With Dean? Ginny, him and another bloke?

Harry had no inclination to share with Dean, let alone be naked around another man. None at all. But then, it was definitely arousal he had felt watching Ginny kissing Dean… where did that come from?

No. If Ginny wanted Dean there was only one available option...

 _Should I offer the polyjuice idea?_ _Would I be able to do it?_

He must have looked lost in thoughts for Ginny came to him and hugged him tentatively.

"I'm sorry Harry, I'm just being honest, I think we have to be, we always have.

And to be completely honest, the way you fucked me this morning made me forget about Dean in an instant…" she said naughtily.

Harry tried to smile as Ginny sat on his laps.

This was a whole lot of informations and events to process.

The chimney suddenly lit and a few seconds later, James, Albus and Lily came out of it, full of ashes.

"Happy New Year Mum and Dad!" they sang, coming to hug their parents.

Once they were all seated for breakfast, Harry asked, mostly to James :

"How was it at the Burrow? Did you behave yourselves?"

"Did _you_?" his son shot at him, laughing.

Harry felt himself blush slightly and said no more.

"Dad, you look seriously hungover…" added James, falsely scolding a him.

The kids were due back to Hogwarts the next day so the whole family spent the day gathering their belongings and organizing their departure.

At 5' o'clock, Teddy apparated, his hair completely red, his eyes back to their profound blue.

"I thought you were going to join us last night!" said Harry, secretly glad Teddy had not seen anything of their somehow shameful drunken night.

"Sorry Harry! But I got distracted…" he started, looking gleeful, "By Victoire" he added, his eyes full of awe.

"Really?" said Ginny beaming at him. "Are you guys together again then?" she asked, hopeful.

"We are" He answered, proudly.

Ginny squeaked in pleasure.

"It was stupid. I missed her the minute I left. I thought I needed different things, like you did at our age but really, I missed her too much…" explained Teddy.

Ginny glanced curiously at Harry.

 _Yes, maybe I should have told her that Teddy knows…_

He cleared his throat and Teddy seemed to understand that he should shut up.

"So, Teddy." started Harry "Do you mind telling me why you applied for my department without telling me?" he eyed his godson intently.

Teddy blinked.

"I'm sorry Harry, but I really needed to make sure that you would accept interviewing me before I told you I wanted to join…"

Harry understood very well. He had often felt privileged, after Voldemort downfall, and he had hated it. Teddy just wanted to be treated equally and it was actually another good point for his application.

"But, if you pass the tests, and if you end up joining the Aurors, how do you think that could work with Victoire in Paris?" Harry asked, curious.

"We were actually discussing the idea to move back to London, Victoire is going to finish her training at _La Pitié_ in Paris in june. We wouldn't be apart for long…" Teddy explained.

Harry nodded.

"Well, I can't deny that your application is very good…" said Harry.

Teddy beamed, his chest rising in pride.

"But I will need to see you in a formal interview and test your capabilities before we even talk about training." Harry explained.

Teddy nodded, very serious.

-o-

When Harry returned to work the next day, he was looking forward to have a quiet afternoon in his office, after his meeting, having him time to really think. It had been an eventful holidays.

 _Well, I hate it when things are too quiet._ He thought to himself, bitterly.

Harry had not seen Hermione in two days, since their kiss. It was Ginny who had brought the kids back to King's Cross since Harry had to be back for his Squad Leaders briefing.

By lunchtime he finally retreated to his quiet and secured office and sat at his desk, sighing deeply, he allowed his brains to focus on what was really on his mind.

 _So_.

 _First subject : kissing Hermione. Why?_

He could see the kiss happening in his head, he found himself dissecting every step of it like he would investigate a case file on his desk. His inner monologue started.

 _Easy : mistletoe_

 _Yeah but that's not what is troubling you, is it?_

 _No…_

 _What is it then?_

 _I never thought it would be so…_

 _So what?_

 _Confusing_

 _How is it confusing?_

 _Because I liked it. No, I loved it. It was the best kiss I had in a decade…._

 _Why do you think that is?_

 _Well… I had not kissed anyone except Ginny in over 15 years… so I guess it just felt excitingly new and arousing…_

 _What else?_

 _Maybe because kissing Hermione felt kind of… forbidden?_

 _Why did you do it then?_

 _Mistletoe!_

 _And?_

 _I just had watched my wife kissing another bloke… I was angry._

 _And?_

 _I wanted revenge?_

That must be it.

No matter how special and arousing it had felt, anger and Firewhisky and mistletoe were the reasons he had kissed her. They must be. Harry felt a surge of guilt, thinking he had somehow used Hermione like that. His best friend. What a fucking mess...

 _Actually, Hermione was the one to kiss me back... she made things go crazy, not me._

He wondered, and maybe he hoped she would not remember exactly what had happened, she'd been very drunk too after all and that kiss had been a stupid mistake. It shouldn't change anything. They were adults, weren't they? They should be able to handle a stupid kiss?

 _What about all the flirting prior to the kiss?_

 _Nah… a game, just a game._

 _Flirting and kissing? Isn't it way beyond the game rules?_

 _Shut up. Mistakes. It ends, now._

He tried not to feel too anxious about how their next meeting would be like and somehow he felt better. He needed to be practical and decided to accept this mildly logical explanation for the kiss.

 _Second issue : Ginny_

 _She kissed Dean._

 _How does that make you feel?_

 _Angry? Pathetic enough to seek revenge by kissing my best friend?_

 _Why did you ask about her being turned on by Dean?_

 _Dunno… Maybe I wanted her to feel bad about what she did?_

 _Did she?_

 _Yeah… I think so._

 _Was it satisfying, seeing her feeling bad?_

 _No._

 _Why did you ask her if she wanted to have sex with Dean?_

 _I needed honesty, and maybe I wanted to… hurt myself…_

 _Because you kissed Hermione?_

 _Maybe._

 _So what are you going to do about all that?_

 _Well, I can't bloody kill Dean. I can't avoid Hermione. I want my wife to be honest with me…_

 _But?_

 _But I can't be honest with her._

 _Why?_

 _Because Hermione is off limit… Ginny and Ron don't need to know, it was a drunken mistake._

 _And Dean?_

 _I would never let my wife sleep with Dean._

 _So?_

 _So what? I have to accept how she feels about Dean? And then what? Forget about it?_

 _Or?_

 _Or… polyjuice? Maybe? Humpf._

His kiss with Hermione seemed possible to catalogue under the "drunken, revenge stupid kiss" label. More precisely, it was easier to put that label on it rather than thinking about any other reasons he would not allow to let form in his mind.

He just needed to make sure she was okay too. And he needed to ignore the fucking tension his body was in.

As for Ginny having fantasies about Dean… he would be a hypocrite to blame her for fantasies… Because somehow, even in his concealed jealousy and guilt, what Ginny had confessed to him hurt but also made him feel slightly less ashamed of himself.

Because, at the end of the day, wherever their thoughts might take them during sex, it was always _them_ doing it. Harry and Ginny. So what if it aroused her to think about Dean? What if it aroused him to think about Hermione? As long as he was the one making Ginny scream in ecstasy...


	14. Chapter 14 : Realization

**Happy New Year everyone ! I'm back :) Sorry for the long wait, holidays and kids at home and then work... you know how it is...**

 **I hope you like this chapter. This one is a bit shorter but some very very big things are coming in the next chapters. Enjoy!**

 **-O-**

On the fourth day of January, after a very intense physical training with his newest trainees, Harry went back to his office, his body feeling terrible. He thought the exercise would help him ease the tension but far from it, now he was just as tense and in pain.

He didn't register the intra-ministry note flying around his head until it painfully cut across his cheek.

"Ouch!" cried Harry, finally catching the note and opening it.

" _Harry,_

 _I think we need to talk,_

 _Do you mind coming to my office before leaving tonight?_

 _Hermione_ "

He knew that would happen. Knew he would have to face her eventually. He had accepted the idea that the kiss was just a mistake induced by poor choices and Firewhiskey but he still felt anxious about finally meeting Hermione. Would she be mad at him? Would they be alright? He certainly could not imagine not having her around in his life. This thought filled him with dread and he shook his head, reaching for his quill.

He wrote a quick note to accept her invitation and tried to resume his work.

At 6 o'clock, Harry left his office, his stomach tied in a knot and walked towards the Department of Justice.

He took the stairs, his body still felt tense but that small exercice did not help him to relax. He knocked on Hermione's office door and heard her say "Enter!".

He pushed the door open and saw her, standing behind her office, looking very impressive in her formal robes, as Head of Justice Department.

She was looking at him full in the eyes, clearly determined to talk.

"Thank you for coming, Harry. Take a seat" She indicated the seat facing her office.

"Such formalities?" Harry tried to joke, uncomfortably.

"Yes, I figured some... distance... would be a good idea…" she answered timidly.

Harry's face split into a grin. Despite all his anxiety about seeing her, despite his own fucking mess of thoughts, it felt oddly satisfying to see her blush. Empowering.

Her rosy cheeks made all his concerns fly out the window.

"Why? Are you afraid you might kiss me again? I don't see any mistletoe..." he teased, looking over his head innocently.

She blushed and looked away.

"Hum…" she cleared her throat, "That's what I wanted to talk about, actually... " she seemed nervous, very nervous.

"Relax, Hermione, it was New Year's Eve, we were drunk and below the mistletoe" Harry said in what he thought was a reassuring tone.

She looked hopefully at him.

"You're not mad?" she asked, "I was afraid you'd be mad at me because, clearly, it was all my fault…"

"How did you get to that conclusion?" he asked, surprised. "I was the one to start it…"

"Yes, that's true, but… " she tried, hesitant.

"But what? You pounced on me?" Harry smirked, unable to stop himself.

 _And she is blushing again..._

"Well, I did kiss you back, but you were the one to pounce on me…." she defended herself.

Harry laughed. Humor might be the way.

"You had your tongue all over my mouth… I guess I just followed your lead…" he said, trying to look unconcerned.

She looked affronted.

Harry was still laughing at her but stopped abruptly when he saw how distressed she looked.

 _Why am I being such an arsehole?_

"Just look at it this way" he said calmly, reassuringly "I kissed Cho and Lavender that night. Kissing you was just another mischief of that evening" he lied, more easily than he thought he would.

She seemed to relax but Harry could see something else in her eyes.

 _Is she... disappointed?_

Harry sobered up instantly.

"So, are we okay?" she asked impatiently, her face red.

"Sure. Just forget it." he answered, trying to sound casual, with an attempt to a small smile.

"Good. Because I was feeling terrible…" she said, faintly.

"Don't. It was nothing." he answered seriously, trying to read her eyes before she looked away. She was doing quite a big job of hiding her face from him, fumbling with papers on her desk.

He let out a long breath and watched her for a moment, silently.

Her shoulder seemed tense, like she was carrying an enormous weight. She was reflecting him his own physical painful state. He leaned towards her and took her hand. She finally turned back to him and he felt his stomach drop when he saw her face. She looked flushed, her lower lip was between her teeth, her eyes were dark. In an instant he felt his entire body fill with the utmost, overwhelming desire.

And then it hit him. Hard. He had been wrong, so wrong to label that kiss as a stupid mistletoe incident. He wanted more, so much more. It was like a veil was being raised over his eyes. Something had shifted in the way he was seeing her. It was terrifying.

He tried to find clues in her eyes, if she felt it too. She was avoiding his eyes again.

His heart suddenly beat faster and he stood up. He walked around the office to get closer to her, clearly denying her the distance she had first asked for when he had arrived.

She was still on her feet and took a step back when he was right in front of her. She looked a bit fearful and did not meet his eyes. He knew he should step back too. He found out that he could not. Or really didn't want to. His body so tense it hurt. Shocked by his sudden overwhelming realization he heard his low and deep voice ask:

"You want more, don't you?"

She shivered, but did not answer, her eyes still focused on the floor. He watched her lips. Desire rushed through him. He remembered their kiss and felt excitement rise into his stomach. If she would only look at him…

 _Just tell me..._

"I think you should leave now, Harry." she finally said, in a faint voice.

He took three steps back, the rush of desire in his body suddenly replaced by icy fear.

He silently turned back and went for the exit in silence. He shot a last glance at her before closing the door and saw her looking at him, her eyes as dark and sparkling as the night they had kissed.


	15. Chapter 15 : Headaches

**Double update. Because this is another short chapter. The next one is going to be BIG... I won't say anymore about it but I will publish it very soon. Enjoy :)**

-O-

Harry felt miserable. It had been two weeks since he had last seen Hermione. She had canceled all their lunches and had found excuses no to come to their usual saturday night dinners. Ron told Harry that Hermione was writing.

Harry knew something had happened, that day in her office. He had been so sure she had felt it too. But maybe he had misinterpreted her?

He always trusted Hermione to stop him when he was being stupid. And that's exactly what she had done.

It was simple and clear.

What had he been hoping for, really? Another kiss? That would have been wrong on so many levels. One kiss under the mistletoe could be forgivable. Nothing would excuse another kiss. It just felt like he had very little control over himself in her presence. Making her blush and feel her close to him had been all that mattered. That was wrong.

And he needed to make things right. With Hermione and for his wife.

Somehow both things seemed linked. As if he could not feel happy and relaxed around Ginny when Hermione was mad at him… Whatever that meant, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Guilt. A sentiment he was only too familiar with. Only this time it was over something far less honorable than saving the wizarding world.

Guilt over the way he had behaved with Hermione and that she might really be angry at him now. Guilt thinking he had somehow betrayed Ron and Ginny... Guilt because Ginny had been so honest while he had been nothing but. Guilt because he shouldn't feel attracted to Hermione at all. Wrong, so very wrong.

It seemed that everything that usually balanced his life was upside down. And he couldn't live like that.

And the worst part was that Ginny was becoming impatient with him.

"Why are you looking so depressed, Harry?" she asked him after a few days during which he had communicated mainly with grunts.

"I'm not depressed..." he sighed.

She mocked him.

"Harry, please, don't take me for a fool! I can see something is wrong! Just talk to me!"

 _How could I?_

He could never discuss this with Ginny. Even if there was nothing _really_ wrong about what he and Hermione had done. Flirting was allowed… And Hermione had made it clear that it was over now. But whatever he thought he had seen in her eyes that day and whatever it had awaken in him was really wrong. More guilt.

"Is it because of Albus?" asked Ginny, anxiously.

"What? No! Of course not!" Harry answered quickly, looking up.

"Then what on earth is going on?" she asked again, her temper rising.

When he still did not supply any answer (his mind was blank), she sat in front of him and asked, suspiciously :

"Is it about what we talked about? About… Dean?"

Ginny looked anxious.

Harry opened his mouth and closed it again. What was wrong with him? He was usually so good at finding the right questions and answers! It was his bloody job too!

"Harry, love, I'm sorry if what I said hurt you… I just thought… you might be ready to hear it… and… well, I only meant what I said, I would never do anything that could hurt you…" said Ginny, very concerned. "I'm sorry I kissed Dean…." she finally apologized.

Harry only felt even more guilty.

"It's fine, Ginny, don't worry about it" he answered, getting on his feet and putting his cloak on to get to work. He caught a last glimpse of Ginny before he disapparated, she looked hurt and angry at him.

 _Well, now I've got both my best friend and my wife really mad at me…_

-O-

Harry did a lot of physical training that week. Three hours a day. He was getting late on almost every other topics at work, but he revelled in the physical exercise. His body was still a mess and the only time he felt okay was when he was training. He ran 10 kilometers each day, and exercised with heavy weights until his head spined.

He was also supposed to interview Teddy that day and felt nervous about it. He had no doubt Teddy would perform great but he was still worried about the fact that he would have to send his godson on dangerous missions someday.

So when he opened his office door to Teddy that afternoon and invited him to seat, Harry had mixed feelings.

He decided on using his usual interview routine for a start.

"Teddy Lupin, 21, Metamorphmagus. Huffelpuf, 6 Newts, O in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Care for Magical Creatures, E in Transfiguration and Charms, Potions and Herbology." Harry stated, reading his file.

Teddy wore a polite smile and nodded.

"You were training at the Law Enforcement Department in Paris. I have read your superior' recommandation. I have contacted and consulted your team members. They all think very highly of you".

Teddy nodded again.

"Why do you want to be an Auror, Teddy?" asked Harry, putting the file down and looking at his godson seriously.

"I want to help keep our world at peace." answered Teddy right away "I want to learn more Defense with you, Sir. I want to make sure that my kids will grow up in a world where they don't have to hide because they are Muggleborn or HalfBlood or have a Werewolf for a father."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement.

"Are you aware of the risks the career of Auror contains?"

"I am. I lost both my parents at the Battle of Hogwarts when I was an infant. My mother was an Auror, my father was a Werewolf, both were in the Order of the Phoenix. Both were your friends."

Teddy was very serious and Harry felt a pang in his heart.

"They were." he confirmed.

"Teddy, I'm supposed to make you take Veritaserum now, to check your answers…" started Harry.

"I want to do it, Sir!" Teddy nodded fiercely. "I want a proper interview".

Harry sighed and looked at his Godson for a minute. He silently got up and went to fetch a small bottle of Veritaserum from his cupboard.

He reluctantly handed it to Teddy who drained it at once.

Harry sat in front of his godson again and waited for a blur to appear in his eyes.

"Teddy, why do you want to be an Auror?" he asked again.

"I want to help keep our world at peace Harry. I want to bring justice to those who have been targeted by dark magic. I want to bring dark wizards and witches to jail. I want to be a part of your team. I've always wanted that" Teddy answered, his eyes unfocused.

"Are you aware of the risks the career of Auror contains?" Harry asked again.

"I am, my parents died at your side to make this a better world for me. I have no intention to follow them to the grave yet, but if it's what it takes to keep the world at peace, I would."

Harry sighed.

"You lost your parents to Dark Wizards too, Harry. You know how I feel." Teddy added.

"Thank you, Teddy. The effect of the Veritaserum will wear out in a few minutes, I shall invite you to wait in the main office in the meantime. You shall receive a formal invitation for your practical tests in a few days." Harry explained.

Teddy nodded and smiled.

"Did I pass the interview then?" he asked, eagerly.

Harry smiled warmly at him.

"Of Course, Teddy".

"Thank you Harry! I love you! You're the best GodFather ever!" Teddy said in excitement.

Harry chuckled, the veritaserum was still acting, and though he had never doubted Teddy's love for him, it felt strange to hear him say it so bluntly.

Harry felt slightly better after his interview with Teddy. He was proud of his Godson's answers and application. Teddy had been quite brilliant at Hogwarts. Of course, Hermione tutoring him had helped. And Harry himself had made sure Teddy knew all the Defense Against the Dark Arts he could teach him.

He was confident that Teddy would perform well at his tests. Plus, he was a metamorphmagus and that could prove very useful.

Harry put his cloak on and headed for the Atrium. He forgot all his worries for a moment while imagining Teddy passing the Disguise test. He smiled to himself.

Until he walked headlong into Hermione.

She shrieked as all the books she was carrying fell on the Atrium floor. Harry swore loudly and massaged his shoulder were it had collided with Hermione.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Hermione was still flat on her bottom on the floor. She looked at him as he extended his hand to help her get on her feet.

Once she was up, Harry hurriedly helped her pick up all the books she had dropped and handed them to her.

"Thanks!" she said faintly. "Merlin you weren't even unbalanced! Are you solid rock or what?" she stated still clutching at her hindquarters.

Harry chuckled.

"Auror training, I guess" he answered simply.

She eyed him in a strange way, looking suddenly as if she wanted nothing more than to run away. Harry felt all the weight of their two weeks apart heavy on his heart.

"Hermione, can we please talk?" he asked, desperate.

She didn't answer at once for she was looking nervously around the atrium.

"Not here, not now" she finally answered. "Meet me at home, tonight, at 9" she said in a very low voice.

Harry nodded and watched her leave, walking at a rapid pace towards the elevators, her books in her arms.

He sighed. Tonight he would make things right. He was confident he would have his best friend back. The rest would simply follow.


	16. Chapter 16 : Utter madness

**As promised, here is the next chapter! It's much bigger but I simply could not split it. I think it's the one I had the most fun to write...**

 **I'd really enjoy to read your feedback on it. And thank you to those of you who left me a review, it definitely makes me want to update faster :)**

 **Enjoy ;)**

-O-

When Harry apparated at Ron and Hermione's place that night, he was feeling nervous. Whatever was wrong needed to be fixed. Tonight.

Ron was not home yet and Hermione made him follow her in the kitchen and poured him a cup of tea. She was looking anxious as well, not really looking at him in the eyes. She made herself busy by opening one of the two Weasley Wizards Wheezes boxes of chocolates that laid on the table.

After a few gulps of tea, she finally broke the silence.

"Harry, I'm sorry I chucked you out of my office the other day..." she started

"No, I'm sorry, I don't know what the fuck took me..." Harry apologized.

She looked at him with a sad, small smile.

"Well, after New Year's Eve, I think we were… confused."

She hesitated. "Can we be completely honest with each other Harry?" she asked, eyeing him intently.

Harry nodded.

"The thing is, lately I've been thinking about… well, you. Since we kissed…" she said, her cheeks red.

 _So she does fancy me._

"I think… I think our flirting game confused me a little bit…that _and_ the firewhiskey and the kiss" she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I feel like I'm in a stage of my life where a lot of things are changing and… well, I don't think you and I can allow things to change _that_ way with each other… it's wrong." she added, her cheeks red, her eyes sad.

Harry nodded again, trying to stop the firework that had erupted in his stomach when she said she had been thinking about him. He wanted to make things right with her, whatever he felt himself.

"It's all my fault, I…" he started, needing to reassure her.

"No, Harry" she interrupted, "We both played it… I don't know how you feel about all that?" she asked tentatively.

Harry breathed deeply.

 _Well, she asked for honesty…_

"I think I've been confused too… a lot" he confessed.

She nodded, as if she already knew his answer.

"I'm sorry" he added simply, sincerely. "I've been stupid starting this. I got... carried away… It feels so wrong now..." he confessed, a bit shamefully.

"Well, I didn't expect things to take that path either… we just need to… take control over whatever it was and make it go away" she said, her face resolute.

"I hope we can just go back to how things are supposed to be..." Harry nodded, full of hope.

"We have to!" confirmed Hermione, "I can't bear to avoid you… I've missed you… I just needed time to sort my thoughts. I want my friend back. Whatever that was, it's over now" she said, reaching for his hand.

Harry nodded and smiled at her, squeezing her hand.

"I missed you too" he said.

She answered with a warm smile.

The tension between them seemed to lift slightly. They were going to be fine. A kiss was only a kiss. Attraction could be fought and go away. Friendship was stronger. Flirting with Hermione was over, it should never have started in the first place. The fact that she might fancy him and that he had fantasies about her had to stay, well… fantasies. Or better, go away if he could manage it. For both their marriage's sake.

They looked at each other in silence for a minute, confusion slowly leaving them as certainty that friendship and marriages were the most important truly sank in.

After a minute, Hermione dropped his hand and refilled their cups of tea. Harry sighed and smiled at her.

They could do it, he knew they could put this very strange turn of recent events behind them, fall into normal conversation again.

"These look good" said Harry, pointing at the box of chocolates Hermione had opened.

"Ron must have left them when he came home for lunch…" she answered before taking a chocolate, biting into it and gesturing at Harry to help himself.

Silence is comfortable when you have your mouth full.

He did not know if it was because of the conversation or the chocolate but he suddenly felt better, much lighter.

"When is he coming home?" asked Harry.

"Should be any minute" she answered.

She seemed to be warm because her cheeks were pink and she opened her cardigan.

Harry tried not to look at her chest, tight against her simple white blouse. He bit into another chocolate.

"These are good" he stated, licking his lips.

Hermione nodded as she took another one herself. She had chocolate on her fingers and Harry suddenly felt a very strong desire to lick it.

He shook his head and drank some tea.

 _Come on! Take a grip! You just solved all that for fucks sake!_

When he looked at Hermione again, he saw that her eyes were sparkling. She was pushing her hair beside her ears, her breath heavy.

 _Is she… hot?_

She seemed a bit uncomfortable, shifting on her feet.

Harry tried to ignore the urge to come closer to her and cleared his throat.

She seemed to notice him and looked at him closely, her eyes suddenly dark.

"You look very fit, Harry" she said, in a low voice.

Harry stared at her, not sure of what he had just heard. Why was she saying that, now of all time?

They had just agreed this was over!

She was gorgeous. Her cardigan fell on the floor as she took it off. Her chest was rising in heavy breathing. Harry wanted to grab her, to touch her, to kiss her.

He fought very hard, not understanding what on earth was suddenly going on. They were fine, discussing, a minute ago. Agreeing that all that was over.

And now, all he wanted was to crash his body against hers and kiss her and it did not feel like right at all.

It made no sense. No sense at all. He didn't want to want any of that. His brain did not anyway.

In order to keep his hands busy, he took another chocolate and tried not to look at her.

This proved impossible.

He could not think of anything else. Hermione. He wanted her, so much it hurt. He could not fight it much longer…

She was still breathing heavily and not saying anything, instead she was looking at him, her eyes dark, her teeth playing with her lower lip. And then, she opened another button of her blouse and Harry felt himself stand up.

He covered the short distance between them in a few strides and pushed Hermione flat against the counter. He lifted her on it, grabbing her thighs.

She moaned and opened her legs. He cradled between them and started kissing her neck fiercely while she moaned louder.

Harry felt outside of himself. He had no control over what he was doing, and so it seemed, neither did Hermione. His mind had stopped arguing.

 _Yeah, kiss her, just kiss her_

He licked and bit her neck greedily, leaving a red love bite there while his hands were all over her thighs, quickly going under her skirt and moving up...

He felt her shiver violently as his hands tug at her panties and he looked in her eyes. She seemed lost, absent and full of lust.

Harry kissed her fiercely, letting his tongue dance with hers, his lower body coming closer between her opened legs. She cried as she felt his hardness against her core.

"I need to fuck" she pleaded.

Harry felt himself become even harder. Fucking with Hermione felt like the only sensible thing to do right now.

He could not think, all he knew was that he needed to kiss her, touch her.

One of his hands was trying to get under her blouse to properly touch her, skin to skin. He could feel her hands on his arse, then traveling all over his back, pulling his shirt over his head.

He threw his shirt away before ripping her blouse open and tugging at her underwear to free her right breast. He hastily grabbed it, lowering his head to greedely flick his tongue on her delicious nipple, his other hand trailing on her thigh, tugging at her knickers...

Harry heard a loud noise but couldn't care less, he was too busy trying to take Hermione's underwear out of his way, while grinding madly against her body and sucking her nipple.

Suddenly, he felt himself fly backwards and landed painfully on his back, knocking two chairs on his way.

Cursing loudly, he tried to get back to his feet but was propelled backwards again by what he assumed was a revulsion jinx.

He merely acknowledged that Ron was pointing his wand at him but all he wanted was to go back to Hermione. She was still on the counter, her blouse open, one breast half uncovered and looking playfully at him when she saw Ron.

She seemed confused for a few seconds but then she smiled naughtily.

"The more, the merrier" she said, her tone very naughty.

Harry heard Ron curse loudly.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?" Ron bellowed, looking at Harry and then Hermione.

"Come on, love, come and help Harry up, you two have to make me happy" she pouted.

Ron gaped at her. His mouth was hanging open and he seemed unable to think.

Harry tried to stand again, he was looking greedely at Hermione who was fumbling at her bra. He needed to touch her again.

As he was stumbling to his feet, Harry saw out of the corner of his eyes that Ron was watching him, his face paralyzed in shock.

Harry finally managed to get up and strode confidently towards Hermione.

Hermione shot him a greedy look and said:

"Come on boys, help me out of these, please" while pointing at her panties, her legs wide open.

Ron was horrified.

"Ron, can you get undressed already?" asked Hermione impatiently as Harry reached her and almost tripped in his hurry to take off his own pants.

This seemed to bring some senses into Ron again. He looked at his wife and then at the box of chocolate next to her on the counter and then at Harry, who was already starting to to help Hermione take her knickers off.

"BLOODY HELL" he bellowed, horrified.

Harry, who was tugging at Hermione's knickers, did not understand why he was propelled backwards, landing painfully on his back again. He swore. Why was Ron not letting him get to her? He really wanted it!

He saw a purple lightning hit his legs and felt ropes slowly binding him.

"What are you doing that for?" he asked, furious, "I need to fuck her!" he bellowed at Ron.

"Merlin pants! Shut the fuck up Harry!" Ron answered, horror in his eyes.

Hermione looked highly amused. She pouted and said:

"You want me all for yourself Ronald? Don't be selfish, Harry can help"

She got up and came teasingly towards a livid Ron who took a step back.

"Hermione, how many chocolates did you have?" he asked, his voice faint.

She didn't seem to register his question, her hands were trying to grab his arse.

Harry was still on the ground, legs tightly tied, he was struggling to free himself.

"Don't touch her! She's mine!" he growled at Ron.

Ron rolled his eyes and was trying to push Hermione away.

"JUST STOP! BOTH OF YOU!" he bellowed, looking angry and distressed.

"I'm sorry love" he added before pointing his wand at Hermione "Incarcerous!"

Hermione swore as she felt ropes binding her.

"Ron! Untie me! Right now!" she said, squirming on the floor.

"LISTEN TO ME!" shouted Ron as Harry and Hermione were both swearing at him loudly.

"You've eaten enchanted chocolates!" he stated, his face full of horror "they're full of spiked amortentia" he explained, "George invented them and I brought them home for us to try together…"

Ron cursed under his breath.

"They are obviously too strong and dangerous..." he said darkly, watching Harry trying to crawl towards Hermione, who was encouraging him.

"Harry, I know you're not yourself right now, but if you put your hands on my wife again I'm going to fucking harm you!" said Ron angrily, pointing his wand at him.

Harry swore at Ron.

"Just… just wait, I'm gonna sort you out!" Ron pleaded.

He shouted "Expecto Patronum" and his Fox Terrier rose out of his wand and left the room.

"I've sent for George! He's got the antidote… but you need to wait until he gets here!" explained Ron, looking very worried.

"Ron, my love, why don't you untie me so I can welcome you home properly?" asked Hermione, teasingly. "If you don't want Harry to participate, he can watch" she added, winking at Harry.

Harry was definitely not okay with that. He fought harder against the ropes. Helplessly.

"For fucks sake" swore Ron.

"You clearly both ate the Hermione's spiked chocolates… so that makes you want Hermione…. Harry" said Ron, glaring at Harry.

"And Hermione, the chocolates are making you lust over yourself so you're just... uncontrollably horny!" he added, mortified.

"Let me go!" asked Harry, angrily, not even listening to Ron.

"And me!" asked Hermione, "Don't make me wait, Ron, I can't wait, I need to have sex! I want to have sex!" she cried. Her blouse was fully open and her skirt was lifted up to her thighs. Harry could see her underwear and felt an urge to get to her. Her plea made him fight even harder against the ropes.

Ron caught Harry's eyes on his wife and swore again, raising his wand.

"Stop it ! NOW!"

"I want to kiss her again, I want to touch her… lick her, fuck her…"

Hermione was cheering but Ron simply burst.

He cast a silencing charm at Harry and glared at him furiously. He went to the living room and came back with a blanket that he threw over the squirming Hermione on the floor.

Harry continued his silent demands while Ron sat on the floor, his head in his hands.

Hermione was still squirming and trying to plea with Ron.

"Come on, Ron! I don't need much! Let me have you! Let me have Harry!"

When Ron didn't answer she tried to convince him another way.

"I can take you both, I know I can! I've always wanted to! Don't be jealous honey, I've kissed Harry before, and he's so hard for me right now, I can't let him down! I'm so wet already, please..."

Ron's eyes widened. He shot a terrified look at Harry who was still silently shouting on the floor before advancing towards Hermione.

"What did you say? You've kissed before?" he asked, looking at her, his eyes narrowed.

"That's it, come to me, I'll make you relax…" answered Hermione, her eyes sparkling.

That's when they heard George entering the kitchen.

"What's the emergency Ron? I was about to…" George's eyes fell on the scene.

He looked at the shirtless Harry, fly undone, silently talking dirty to Hermione, his body tied up. He then looked at the flushed Hermione, squirming on the floor and his jaw dropped.

"What the _hell_ is going on in here?" he asked, flabbergasted.

Ron chucked the chocolate box in his hands.

"They ate them. The Hermione' ones." he said desperately.

"And?" asked George, looking terrified.

"And If I had come home 5 minutes later it would have been too late!" shouted Ron, angrily.

George's hand flew at his mouth in shock.

"They weren't…?"

"THEY WERE ABOUT TO!" bellowed Ron, looking beside himself.

"Thank god you came home then…" answered George, trying to sound reasonable.

"Hi George!" said Hermione, looking at him up and down, interested. "Can you please ask Ron to untie me? I need sex, right now. Harry was just about to provide, but Ron is such a spoil sport... care to join us?" she asked naughtily.

George cleared his throat.

"Merlin..." he said faintly.

"SEE?" shouted Ron, panicking. "How do we fix this?"

"I've got an antidote, but it might not work straight away. I haven't tried it before…" answered George, looking worried.

"Try it!" commanded Ron.

"I've got a bottle here, Angie and I were supposed to try our chocolates tonight too…" said George, fumbling in his pocket.

He handed a bottle to Ron who unfastened it quickly and ran to Hermione.

"Yes! At last! Are you going to untie me before you fuck me?" she asked teasingly.

George hardly suppressed a laugh.

Ron poured half the bottle content into Hermione's mouth and waited.

"That's not what I want in my mouth Ron!" she rebelled, teasing him.

"Shut up and swallow" Ron answered, his ears red.

He looked at Hermione for a moment, expectant.

"What about him?" asked George, pointing at Harry. "You've got to give him some too"

Ron turned to Harry, anger etched on his face. He walked towards his friend and harshly pour some potion in his mouth. Harry swallowed and shouted silently.

"Maybe we should unsilence him?" asked George, hesitant.

"I dunno…" answered Ron, looking wary.

Harry suddenly felt his throat un-constrict as George lifted the spell.

"Hermione! I'm coming! What the fuck are you all about? I was about to fuck her!" he bellowed.

George looked stunned and Ron rolled his eyes angrily.

"See? They're mad! The antidote isn't working!" shouted Ron, panicking.

"Just give it a moment!" said George.

"Do you think we should call Ginny?" asked Ron.

"Are you mad? She's gonna curse our arses off! We need to wait for the antidote to kick in, at least" said George, looking terrified.

"What about you take my clothes off, George, you untie Harry, Ron, and then I'm going to fuck you three sensle…" but her words disappeared in her throat as a mortified look appeared on her face.

"Hermione!" shouted Ron, full of hope and taking her in his arms "Are you back?"

"Stay away from her!" growled Harry, fighting madly against the ropes.

" _He_ 's clearly not back yet…" stated George pointedly.

"How many chocolates did they have?" wondered George, curious, suddenly looking very business like. He opened the box and counted. "Two or three each, probably." he stated, "Merlin they look very strong" he said, watching Harry again.

Harry was no longer fighting the ropes but he still looked very lustfully at Hermione.

Ron lifted the incarcerous off Hermione and put her to her feet.

"Are you alright Hermione?" he asked, looking very concerned.

She seemed to be about to faint and Ron gently helped her into a seat.

"She's not well! You should have let me fuck her!" said Harry angrily.

George rolled his eyes.

"They're definitely way too strong" he confirmed, putting the box back on the table.

Hermione sniffed and asked for a glass of water. Ron ran to get one for her. As soon as she had drank it she got up and looked furiously at Ron, who recoiled.

"WHAT THE DEVIL WERE YOU THINKING? LEAVING THOSE CHOCOLATES ON THE TABLE!" she bellowed, beside herself.

Ron swallowed hard.

"I'm so sorry, they were never meant for Harry! I brought them during lunch break and I never thought you would be home before I would tonight! I meant to ask if you wanted to try them with me! I had no idea Harry was coming…" he explained, mortified.

Hermione shot a glance at Harry, horrified.

"Hermione, love, just ditch the ginger gits and come with me, you know I can please you..." said Harry his eyes dark with lust.

"How come it's not wearing off?" asked George to himself, worried.

But Hermione was gritting her teeth.

"I'm still… under the spell as well… a bit" she said, her face red.

Ron looked at her, concerned.

'What do you mean?"

"I _mean_ I still want to _fuck_ , Ron!" she shouted, angrily. "When is the stupid thing going to wear off completely?" she rounded on George.

"Strange… I've never thought of what would happen if one ate chocolates with their own spiked amortentia in them… looks like it makes them extremely horny…" observed George.

Ron and George looked at each other, silently exchanging panicky looks.

"Just let me help you Hermione" winked Harry.

She blushed but there was definitely lust in her eyes.

Ron seemed to notice for he firmly grabbed Hermione by the waist and directed her far from Harry while shooting him a dark look.

"Harry… just keep quiet please!" Ron said angrily, "It should wear off soon!"

"I don't want it to wear off! I want your wife, Ron and I'm gonna get her!" Harry answered, looking self confident.

George had even a harder time suppressing a laugh this time.

"Careful bro, the Chosen One is after your wife, you're fucked!" he mocked.

Neither Ron or Hermione found this funny. They both glared at George who took a few steps back and went to examine Harry instead.

"Can I let you go? Or are you going to jump at her?" he asked Harry, seriously.

Harry squirmed against the rope but gave no answer.

"Maybe we better wait some more then…" said George, in a low, concerned voice.

Ron was trying to calm Hermione who was looking quite demented.

"I could kill you Ron!" she shouted "I want to kill you _and_ fuck you! Merlin…. please just step back" she pleaded, mortified.

Harry was starting to find the scene before his eyes disturbing.

He didn't know why but he felt he was missing on some things.

And suddenly he knew.

 _No, no, no, no, no, no!_

He felt all blood leave his face, he felt his back hurt like hell and a strong desire to run away.

George seemed to sense the change in his attitude for he released Harry from the ropes, still pointing his wand at him, looking concerned and serious.

Harry got up to his feet and slouched in a chair, glaring at Ron furiously.

"Well" said George in the uncomfortable silence that followed Harry's return to sanity, "This product is NOT ready for the market".

Nobody laughed.

Harry glanced at Hermione and felt the desire to embrace her. He ignored it. She was enrolled in a blanket but he could see her pretty white leg skin between the folds.

He still wanted to put his tongue there, very much. But he knew why he felt that urge, so he managed to suppress it. He looked at her face instead and forced his mouth shut for he was about to talk dirty to her again.

"Water" he groaned, his mouth dry.

George handed him a glass and Harry drained it.

The silence in the kitchen was heavy.

Hermione was sitting in the opposite side of the kitchen, trying to keep some distance between her and the boys.

"She's not looking well…" Ron whispered to George, concerned.

"Maybe I should take a look at her…" said George not feeling very inclined to do so.

He walked towards Hermione tentatively and as he was coming close to her, she spread her legs wide. Her hand shot at her mouth and she snapped her legs close again, mortified. George blinked and turned away.

"Not a good idea, then" he observed, returning to Ron's side, looking shocked.

"What do we do?" asked Ron, panicky.

"Well, first, you keep Harry away from her." stated George, looking very serious. "Then it's up to you to deal with _her_ " he said in a scared whisper. "I'll go and get Ginny now…" he added, uncomfortably, slowly leaving the kitchen.

Ron groaned.

Harry stayed silent. Mainly because he was not sure he would not say some very embarrassing things to Hermione in front of Ron again.

When Ron, who was standing midway between Harry and Hermione, looked like he could no longer bear the silence he finally said, in a horrified and angry voice:

"I can't believe what just happened. You were about to… to… do it!"

Harry swallowed and looked at Ron.

"Your fucking fault, Ron" he groaned, angrily.

Hermione nodded from the other side of the room and when she did Harry quickly looked at her. She was beautiful.

"I still want to have sex with you…" the words escaped his mouth before he could control them.

Ron swore and Hermione bit her lip.

"Fuck, this is nightmare material…" said Ron, his voice high pitched.

"I still feel… very… hot" said Hermione, taking the blanket off her shoulders.

Ron turned to watch her, panic in his eyes.

"Just... just keep the damn blanket on Hermione!" he pleaded.

Harry had looked up in interest when he saw the blanket fall on the floor, Hermione's clothes were not covering much and he felt the desire still strong in him.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply to keep control.

He heard Ron move and opened his eyes again. Hermione had leaped at him. She had wrapped her arms around his waist and was kissing him fiercely.

Ron seemed to want to fight her for a moment but then he gave up and just let her at it, looking resigned.

But Harry couldn't bear it. He got up and strode towards them, clenching his fists.

He grabbed Ron by the shoulder and forcefully pushed him away from Hermione and punched him in the face. Ron fell hard on the floor, blood splattering his face.

Harry was only a foot from Hermione. She looked at him fearfully.

"Step back Harry" she pleaded, tears and lust in her eyes.

Harry didn't move. He was considering his options. Stepping back seemed physically impossible. Stepping forward seemed the most alluring option but he knew he should not. So he just stayed on the same spot and tried to control his need to touch her.

She was not stepping back either.

"Ron, please, just come back" she cried.

Ron was getting up on his feet, his face covered in blood.

"What the fuck Harry?" he asked anger boiling in him.

"I'm just… concentrating… on… not…. moving" he said, through gritted teeth. "Don't... touch her... or... I won't be able to stop... punching you... again…" he told Ron.

Harry felt anger inside him. And desire. And madness. He didn't want to punch Ron. Not really. He simply could not bare watching Hermione kiss him. The spiked amortentia left in him would simply not allow it.

But hurried footsteps could be heard in the corridor.

 _George and Ginny_

"Harry?" asked Ginny's panicked voice. "Are you okay?"

Ginny ran forward and placed herself in the small space between Harry and Hermione.

"Harry, look at me!" she demanded, for Harry's eyes were still resolutely fixed on Hermione.

He fought hard to obey her.

She could recognize the deep lust in his eyes for she snorted and said "For fucks sake guys, what in the name of Merlin did you put in those chocolates?"

"It's spiked Amortentia, Gin, I told you" supplied George, "Only it's weird that it's so powerful, I did not put so many Ashwinder eggs in it, it should not have that effect, unless…" his voice faded away in mid sentence as he frowned at Harry and Hermione.

"Unless what?" asked Ginny.

George cleared his throat and dismissed the question. "Never mind… the antidote is working, it's just a bit too slow for these two"

Hermione had managed to step back from Harry and Ginny and went back to sitting in the far corner of the room.

"Harry?" Ginny tried again, looking worried. "Can you please talk to me?"

"I'm… not sure… I… fuck" stuttered Harry.

"Okay. I'm taking him home" Ginny stated, glaring furiously at Ron, "We'll talk about that later" she added menacingly.

Harry obeyed Ginny's hand in his when she directed him towards the exit.

He could still smell Hermione and feel the desire in him.

Ginny apparated them both home and he suddenly felt slightly better.

He looked at his wife and swallowed. "Gin, I'm sorry… I… I had no control!"

Ginny looked mad, but mostly concerned.

"George told me." she stated simply, "thank god this fucking prat that is my brother got home before..." she shuddered.

"Ron truly looked demented…." she added, raising an eyebrow at Harry. "How bad was it?" she asked, frowning.

Harry could feel his face getting redder.

He cleared his throat, no sure how he could possibly answer that question.

"Hum… I… We… kissing… touching…"

Ginny didn't need any more details. She suddenly grabbed his face and covered his mouth with hers fervently.

He could sense that she was very mad but was trying to take his mind off the spell and mostly she needed to claim him _hers_ , right now.

Merlin he loved her.

For the first time since he had "awaken" he felt the spell fading faster.

She immediately started to fumble with his fly and pushed him on the rug. She straddled him and kissed him fiercely. Biting his lip hard, until he groaned in pain. She was going to make him pay. And forget.

She did not even let him any time to get completely ready before she put her knickers on the side and pushed herself on him. Harry groaned.

He had been wanting sex all night and he was finally getting it. He could feel, at the back of his mind, the spell telling him that he needed to pull away and find Hermione but he fought the thought. It wasn't too hard since Ginny was riding him madly, moaning loudly. He got hold of her waist and accompanied her movements.

He knew it would not last long, not in his state, not after a few hours of lust thoughts and needs, not when it was Ginny on him instead of Hermione, as the spell required... Ginny was panting from her efforts and lowered her mouth to his ear to whisper: "Mine… you're… mine"

Harry felt the pleasure burst in him but in the last seconds before his release, the spell sent him its last trick: a mental image of Hermione spreading her legs and begging him to fuck her.

"Hermione" he hissed when he came.

They stayed still. Harry did not dare to move or talk. He knew Ginny had heard him. He cursed himself and the damn spell.

When Ginny finally moved back to sit up right on him she looked murderous.

"I'm going to kill my brothers" she said, madly.

"Ginny, I'm sorry…. the spell…" pleaded Harry, needing her to understand.

She got up and put her dress upright.

"I know" she said, without looking at him. "I know it's the damn spell, but I can't believe you almost had sex with Hermione tonight… I'm never going to forgive Ron for his stupidness…" she spat.

"And I'm trying really really hard not to punch you either" she added looking furious.

Harry stayed silent and put his pants back on.

"I love _you_ , whatever the damn spell is telling me, I know that for sure." he told her simply, watching her reaction.

She wiped a tear from her eye with her sleeve and Harry felt safe to come closer.

He hugged her strongly, trying to make her understand how sorry he felt and how much he loved her.

"You better make up for it Harry" she sniffed.

He could feel the spell lift completely now and realised once again how fantastic and amazing his wife was.


	17. Chapter 17 : Crisis meeting

**I wanted to thank those of you who reviewed the previous chapter! It definitely helped me adjusting this one to address what's necessary at this point. Of course, more is coming, they can't just overcome all THAT in one chapter! Discussions and actions are needed now. I'm 3 or 4 chapters ahead and I can tell you things are not going to be quiet ;)**

 **And I must also thank you for bearing with my poor english, I try to get better (by the way, I'm french).**

 **Hope you find it satisfying anyway! Enjoy ;)**

 **-O-**

The crisis meeting was called for the next morning by Ginny.

Harry watched an anxious George, a livid Ron and a mortified Hermione walk into his living room. He sank low in his couch, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"So, we're all here to discuss what happened yesterday" started Ginny, glaring furiously at her brothers.

Ron and George seemed to shrink under her stare.

"I'm going to say it as it is: it's fucking upsetting!" spat Ginny.

At this, Hermione shifted in her seat and Harry dared a glance at her.

She was looking as distressed as he felt.

"So Harry took Hermione's spiked amortentia. And so did Hermione, right?" she asked George seriously.

"Yes. There were two boxes, one was supposed to be for Ron and the other for Hermione. I brought some home too, I spiked them for Angie and I, but we didn't get the chance to try them before Ron called me…" explained George, a bit shamefully.

"Is that how you test your products?" asked Ginny, her tone icy.

"Well, we've… yes. Since the beginning. I test everything on myself before selling it. And Ron has been too, for a while now"

"Did you have any idea it would be that strong?" asked Ginny.

George seemed to hesitate for a few seconds.

"Honestly, no. It's supposed to make you horny for a determined other person, yes. But I didn't think it would be _that_ powerful… Of course it wouldn't have been so bad if it had been Angie and me or Hermione and Ron who tested it… I mean. It would have been great, I guess…" he finished, smirking a little. "But I never thought about what would happen if one took his or her own amortentia..." he shot a nervous glance at Hermione. "That surely was interesting".

Hermione blushed and shrank lower in her chair.

"How come you were there Harry?" asked Ginny curiously, rounding on him.

"Hum…" he cleared his throat, his voice was hoarse, "I needed to talk with Hermione… work talk." he lied.

Everything that had happened right before all that seemed foolish now.

"I asked him to come at 9" confirmed Hermione, her voice faint. "We had tea, I opened the first box of chocolates my hands laid on and…." she couldn't finish and blushed madly.

"I brought the boxes home during lunch break, thinking I would ask Hermione if she was up for testing them…" explained Ron, his ears bright red.

"Don't blush, little brother, it's only natural" said George, winking. Then he suddenly looked stunned before bursting out laughing.

They all glared at him, wondering what on earth could be so funny right now.

"Sorry, I just had that thought… if Harry and Hermione had eaten _your_ chocolates, Ron… They probably would have both jumped at you when you arrived, and let's be honest, you would not have stood a chance against those two… Maybe it was for the best they ate Hermione's chocolates after all…" George chuckled.

Ron looked livid.

"So, Ron arrived, and then what happened?" asked Ginny after an uncomfortable silence, looking at her brother.

"It took me a few seconds to understand what was going on" started Ron, horrified "I… I blasted Harry out of the way… twice… and then I saw the box and it hit me"

"I tried to explain to them what was going on but… well, they were not interested in anything I told them… they were both saying some crazy shit too..." he cast a nervous glance at Hermione, "I sent my patronus to fetch George and I kept Hermione and Harry apart…" he finished, shamefully.

Ginny cleared her throat.

"Okay. So, Harry, Hermione, are you back to normal now?" she asked dangerously, looking at her husband.

"Yes" answered Harry.

Hermione nodded.

"Good" said George, relieved. "I think I should get going then… sorry about that guys…" he said awkwardly, quickly escaping the room.

"Not so fast lugless!" shouted Ginny, running after her brother "I need a word with you" she said savagely, following George in the kitchen.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were left in an awkward silence. Except for Ginny's shouts that were coming from the kitchen.

 _Let her vent it on him..._

Words like "Insane", "Unforgivable" and "Azkaban" could be discerned, amongst a lot of swear words.

Ron was looking nervously from his wife to Harry.

"There's one thing I need to clarify with you both" he started darkly, "Hermione, last night you said you'd kissed Harry before… was that true?" he glanced inquisitively at Hermione.

 _Fuck fuck fuck_

With all the crazy stuff they had both said, Harry had hoped that Ron had forgotten that particular piece of information from last night.

Hermione gasped softly but managed to make it sound like a soft cough.

"New Year's Eve. Mistletoe." she answered simply, hiding her blush from Ron.

Ron seemed to flinch and cracked his knuckles reflexively.

"I did not see that happening" he said, his voice low, his brow furrowed.

"I guess you were too busy kissing Lavender" Hermione spat.

That got _her_ out of trouble fast.

Harry was impressed by her composure while she said it.

Ron turned on Harry instead, his ears red, his eyes dangerously narrowed.

"You didn't tell me" he stated, in a low voice, looking Harry straight in the eyes.

Harry shrugged awkwardly.

"It was a stupid game, everybody played…" he answered, trying to look casual.

Ron did not look like he was very satisfied with this answer.

Needing desperately to avoid that particular subject and to preserve his friendship with both his best friends, Harry forced himself to look at Hermione.

"Look, Hermione, I'm really sorry about last night. I was not in control. The stupid potion… I can't believe I..." his voice broke.

 _Would it be called "rape" what almost happened?_

Harry was horrified to think about that.

Ron was looking at him with an air of sheer disgust and anger too.

He felt sick, stupid and shameful. He had had no control over himself last night, and that alone was embarrassing. He had been able to fight the Imperious Curse before, but a simple love potion, no?

"Yeah…" started Ron, anger in his voice, "I would have thought you might find it in you to resist the fucking spell…"

"Ron!" shouted Hermione suddenly very angry, "We've been through this last night! You have no right, NO RIGHT! to be mad at Harry for your own ghastly mistake!"

She looked furiously at Ron, who looked down and sighed.

Hermione turned to Harry and saw his distraught face, she shook her head.

"Harry, we _all_ know it was that damn potion that made us act and talk crazy. It's worse than the Imperius… No one can blame you for what happened last night. _No one_." she glared at Ron again before resuming. "I'm sorry too, I was not in control either, Merlin I would have had sex with you three…" she added, mortified.

Silence again while Hermione shot an angry glare at Ron.

"Look Hermione, I told you… I'm sorry. I never imagined you'd be home with Harry last night…" Ron apologized to Hermione. Harry saw them exchange silents glances. Ron sighed.

"And Harry…" he started, through clenched teeth, "I'm sorry I left those chocolates on the table" he mumbled not meeting his eyes.

Harry was sure Hermione had made Ron swear to apologize to him.

"I'm sorry too. And about your nose too..." Harry answered awkwardly before asking:

"Did the spell dissipate quickly after I left?"

Hermione did not answer and looked at her feet.

"Not quite" Ron answered for her, chuckling darkly. "I had to… take care of her"

"Ron!" cried Hermione, mortified.

"Well, I did!" said Ron defensively. "What about you, Harry?"

"It faded… progressively…" He was not keen on giving any details.

They fell into an awkward silence again.

"Merlin" sighed Ron after a few minutes, passing a hand in his hair. "I think I need a drink…" he got up and went to take a bottle of Rum and glasses from Harry's bar.

In spite of the early hour in the day, they all took glasses and drank gratefully.

"I'm going to need lots of booze to forget what I saw and heard last night…" said Ron, with a haunted look.

Harry nodded fervently and was handing his glass to Ron for a refill when Ginny walked back in, her gaze falling on the table.

"Rum" she stated simply, grabbing a glass for herself and filling it.

"So, George got his ear fill from me" she said looking strangely satisfied and sitting next to Harry.

"And Hermione, did you really spread your legs for my brother?" she asked, smirking, "and I mean George, not Ron" she snorted.

Hermione blushed madly and choked on her rum.

"That must have been embarrassing" she chuckled, "George just told me… I don't think I saw him blush that much since I caught him wanking when he was 18" Ginny stated, before bursting out laughing.

It was typical Ginny, to use the famous Weasley humour to vent her own feelings out.

Ron seemed to hesitate but could no longer suppress his own nervous laugh. Harry grinned faintly.

Hermione drained her glass.

"Serves him right for inventing such nasty spells" she mumbled darkly.

Harry nodded.

"And you?" Ginny turned to Harry, "did you really punch Ron?"

"The damn spell would not let me watch Hermione kiss him" mumbled Harry through gritted teeth.

Ron made a funny noise.

"You know, I reckon George is right. If you both had eaten my chocolates…" he shuddered, not finishing his sentence.

"Yeah well, people would have another good reason to call you lot the Golden _Trio_ then…" Ginny said darkly.

Ron choked on his rum and even Hermione shocked face could not hide her small grin.


	18. Chapter 18 : All for her

**Hello! Thank you for your reviews! Some of you thought it was too easy. But what can you do? Blame someone who was under a spell?**

 **They all know how badly magic can go sometimes. But I can assure you they are not done dealing with the consequences either.**

 **This chapter will focus on Harry and Ginny. But don't despair, we will see Ron and Hermione soon. It kind of goes as a pair with the next one so I will upload it very soon too.**

 **Enjoy ;)**

-O-

The aftermaths of the whole spiked chocolates had been difficult to deal with for everyone.

Weekly dinners between Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione had just not happened since the crisis meeting, two weeks ago.

Harry had felt he had to make it up to Ginny. Once the initial shock of knowing what had happened and Harry's horrid Amortentia induced mistake that same night had wore off, she had been surprisingly laid back about it all.

Harry was thankful that Ginny had not been there to actually see what had happened between him and Hermione. He thought she might not have reacted as well if she had actually seen him suckling on Hermione's nipple…

He knew Ginny had been looking for Hermione a few days after the incident, deciding that they both needed to clear things off before it became even more awkward. Apparently it had gone well, for Ginny did not seem to hold any grudge to Hermione. She was still furious at Ron and George though.

As for Harry, he thought it best to leave Hermione and Ron deal with it on their own.

Ron probably needed time to process everything and Harry couldn't blame him. Just seeing his reaction when he had heard that Harry and Hermione had kissed at New Year Eve's was enough for Harry to stay away from him for a little while.

And what Ron had seen Harry doing to his wife that night in his kitchen probably required some serious digesting too.

As for Hermione, she seemed satisfied to put some distance between them again, after their talk and all the craziness that had followed. As if the odds had been against them on that matter…

Harry was still slightly shocked and haunted by what they had done, what had almost happened. He could not deny that he had felt extremely turned on that night, incapable of restraining himself. The spell had been strong and maybe his attraction to Hermione had also been a contributing factor to send them both in that crazy state.

He had seen Hermione at work, of course, they had saluted politely but not spoken.

How the two of them would deal with all that was still a mystery to him. So he had decided to focus all his energy on Ginny for now.

When she came back home that night, she smiled at Harry and announced.

"I've spent the afternoon with Hermione"

Harry looked up, still uneasy.

"You two need to talk to each other before things get even more awkward" she said.

Harry sighed.

"We will" he mumbled.

Ginny shook her head and looked at him in disbelief.

"She's not mad at you, you know…" Ginny reassured him, "She's mostly ashamed and she's hardly managing to look at me in the eye again…" she added, rolling her eyes.

"Poor Hermione… You know, she still has to wear scarves because of that love bite you gave her…" Ginny said, suppressing a laugh.

Harry did not know what to say.

"I'm jealous, Harry. I don't think you ever marked _me_ that much…." she said, playfully.

Harry looked up, grinning lightly.

"You've got a stag on your back. You are marked." he answered.

Ginny smiled, wickedly.

"Still, you have to make me very happy, if you want me to forget all that, or I might decide to make you jealous too..." she teased.

"I think I've been working at it very hard" answered Harry with a small smile.

Harry had indeed spent a lot of energy to keep Ginny happy. He had arranged to make free time from work and spend it with her. He had taken her out, to nice restaurants, they had had lengthy talks about their lives, their kids, their past. It had been a long time since he had committed himself so fully to his marriage. And then there was sex, they had almost always maintained quite a good pace during their marriage, but now, it was a daily thing again.

Only last night he had gone down on her and made her scream his name as she came.

"You have" she confirmed, biting her lip and eyeing him intently.

It felt as if he needed to seduce her all over again. This felt right. He was working to make things right.

And the best part was that his dreams about Hermione had abruptly stopped right after the events in her kitchen. Somehow, Harry secretly thought the whole Amortentia business had at least helped him get all that madness about Hermione out of his system.

"I think this incident might actually have helped us…" said Ginny, chuckling.

Harry had the feeling that Ginny was actually enjoying herself, making him try hard to please her.

 _If she wants to play..._

He looked at her intently and suddenly the idea invaded his mind. Acting on impulse, he asked:

"How would you like me to prepare a… surprise for you?"

She looked up, curious.

"What kind of surprise?" she asked, intrigued.

"One I know you've been wanting for a while…" he answered mysteriously.

He had made up his mind on the spot. Sure, he had thought about it a few times, wondering. But now it felt like the right time. He owed her.

Ginny tried to make him tell her but Harry would not say anymore about it. He stayed inflexible, even when she tried to make him confess by straddling him on his chair and kissing his neck. He simply smiled and enjoyed the feeling, keeping his mouth shut.

Ginny glared at him, annoyed but amused at his silence.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see then…" she finally gave up. "When do you intend to surprise me, can I know that, at least?" she asked in a last attempt.

Harry had actually no idea how long it would take get it ready so he shook his head and said nothing.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him and warned playfully: "It better be a good one, Harry!"

 _-O-_

When Harry went back to work the next day, he took his plan into action. It did not take him long to get it ready and when he got home that night, he felt nervous but excited. The understanding and forgiveness Ginny had shown after the whole Amortentia business still amazed him and he felt very grateful. He wanted to treat her.

He knew she would be home early and got ready. There was not much to do anyway.

He opened the flask and looked at the clear blue liquid in it.

 _This is happening._

He exhaled slowly and took a swig. It was surprisingly sweet on his tongue but very bitter once swallowed. Harry cringed and waited.

He could feel his legs and arms growing, his hair shortening, his thighs thinning. He had had the sense to take his shoes off before drinking from the flask and was grateful he had for his feet were lengthening too.

He waited for the transformation to be over with and inhaled deeply before opening his eyes.

There, in the old mirror on his bedroom wall, was Dean. Tall, dark and handsome Dean.

Getting the hair had not been difficult, all he had needed to to was to find an excuse to go to the Department of International Magical Cooperation and steal a hair from his cloak while Dean was on lunch break.

Harry had then gone back to his own Department and asked Eliza to get him some Polyjuice. As Chief of Aurors, he could get some easily, no questions asked, no need to brew it himself.

Harry inspected his image in the mirror. His skin was very dark, his hair shorter, his eyes a deep shade of brown. He had grown a few inches and his teeth seemed extremely white. He flashed a smile at the mirror and touched his hairless face. His skin was very smooth.

He touched his own body clumsily, feeling his hard abs and flat stomach. Harry hesitated a moment.

 _Well, I might as well do it now…_

He stripped naked. He almost fell to the floor when he took his pants off for his legs were longer and he had a hard time finding his balance. When he was naked at last, he slowly and resolutely looked up, in the mirror.

 _Git_

Dean was well built. His body looked perfect. Harry was not ashamed of his body, not since he had started playing Quidditch and then trained as an Auror and become very fit himself. But still, Dean's fitness was effortless, Harry could tell he wasn't trying to be fit, he just was. No working out needed.

Reluctantly, Harry forced his eyes to slowly lower to look at his manhood.

It was… different. Not bigger or smaller, really, just, different. For one, it naturally went slightly to the right whereas his own went to the left and he was almost hairless down there. Harry tried touch his dick but could not. Not in front of the mirror anyway. He let his hands wander on his chest and stomach, he touched his lips and turned around to see his back. He had a nice ass.

Sighing again, he put the new clothes he had bought on and went back to the living room, pouring himself a strong drink to help him feel brave about what he was about to do…

It took Harry three drinks before he started to feel better. He cleaned his glass and put the bottle back in the bar. He was pacing in the room and suddenly realised that he no longer felt strange in Dean's body while he moved.

He was flexing his muscles, concentrating on his sensations when he heard a faint "pop" coming from the kitchen.

Harry startled and felt his stomach do a double flip. Ginny was home.


	19. Chapter 19 : Surprises

**Here it goes for the second chapter of the day. Hope you like it!**

-O-

Harry took another bitter swig from his flask and quickly disapparated from his living room to his front door. Dean could not enter their house uninvited, it would be strange if Ginny found him inside. He rang the doorbell and watched as Ginny opened the door.

"Dean?" she said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

She looked truly surprised and Harry thought mischievously that he should take advantage of her astonishment.

"Hi Ginny!" he heard Dean say through his mouth. It sounded weird. He should have practised talking while he had been waiting…

"What are you doing here?" asked Ginny again, looking inquisitively at him.

"I wanted to talk to you" he answered simply.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him and let him in. "You want to drink something?" she offered.

"Sure, thanks" Harry answered gladly.

She went to get a couple of Butterbeers and he followed her into the kitchen.

"What's up?" she asked, once they had both opened their bottles.

"I just really wanted to see you…" he started, flashing her a bright smile.

Ginny looked at him, frowning slightly.

"Ever since our kiss at New Year's Eve, I've been thinking about you…" he continued, teasingly.

He was not surprised to see her blush a little before she recomposed.

Harry knew he was playing a dangerous game.

"I thought you'd have kissed plenty of other women since then…" she said, coolly.

"Maybe" he answered, his voice low, "But it's you I like to kiss the most"

Ginny's gaze flashed to his eyes.

"Dean… Mistletoe was… nice... but..." she started, hesitantly. "I don't really know what to tell you, I enjoy our occasional flirts but…"

Harry felt his stomach drop a little. Ginny looked quite sad, he was not sure he wanted to hear more.

"I told you before, and it has not changed. I love Harry. You need to stop that." she said, truthfully.

Harry felt his heartbeat racing and a wave of love for Ginny.

He opened his mouth to stop the game and tell her who he really was and what he was ready to offer when Ginny spoke again.

"What you and I did when Harry and I split up is the past"

 _What? What is she talking about?_

Harry cleared his throat. Well, Dean's throat.

He probably looked very worried because when Ginny looked at him, she seemed concerned and sympathetic.

"Honey, you're handsome. I'm not going to lie to you… I have not forgotten our night. We've been through that. But… I'm married… I won't betray Harry... there's nothing more to it..." her voice faded.

Harry needed to end this, right now.

But before he could, Ginny had covered his cheek with her mouth. In a light, gentle, affectionate gesture.

"This is all I can give you" she said, sadly, stepping back.

Harry's heart melt.

"Ginny. You can. I mean… this is my surprise... " he started to say.

Her eyes shot at him. "What?" she said, looking utterly lost.

"I'm Harry" he simply said.

Ginny took several steps back and took her wand out.

"What did you say?" she asked, dangerously.

Harry realised she was very confused right now. He needed to make it clear for her, and fast or she might hex him.

"Polyjuice" he said, handing her the flask. "I put Dean's Hair in it for you, I wanted to surprise you…" he said, watching her, concerned.

She didn't seem to believe him.

"What the hell are you talking about Dean?" she shouted, raising her wand.

"Gin! Love!" started Harry, panicking, his hands raised in surrender. "It's Harry! Okay…. password!" he shouted before she would hex him.

" _Not even death can do us apart_ " he told her calmly.

Ginny blinked several times. This was their password. The one they had chosen together after the war, the words had seemed appropriate at the time when they still needed to be careful since many death eaters had still been at large.

She lowered her wand.

"Harry?" she asked, faintly.

He nodded.

She fell in a chair.

"Well, this _is_ a surprise" she said, her voice still very faint.

"Yeah… well. I got more than I bargained for too…" he answered, his brow furrowed.

She looked at him in panic.

"Harry, this was years ago… we had broken up… I never told you because… well, it was Dean…" she said, not looking at him.

"Yeah. I understood that myself, thanks" he said bitterly, putting a hand in his hair. There was not much hair to pull back though. "I thought... I thought you never slept with anyone else…" he said, his teeth clenched.

She was still not looking at him. He wanted to look back like himself now. Or he might punch his own Dean's face.

But Ginny seemed to change her moods now for she suddenly glared at him.

"You've got nerves!" she spat, "You've slept with I don't even remember how many girls back then! I'm not going to feel guilty about one night!" she cried, angrily.

"Maybe! But I told _you_ at the time!" Harry defended himself angrily.

Ginny let out a derisive laugh.

"Yeah? You think it was easy to hear? and forgive? I wished you never told me!" she said, her face mad.

Harry gave up. Of course she was right. He had hurt her, he knew that. Her old one night stand with Dean was just a late and painful blow for him.

He slumped in his chair and covered his face with his hands.

"And in case you haven't noticed, I told _Dean_ , seconds ago that I would never betray you!" Ginny said fiercely.

Harry felt his heart warming. She had. Right after she had kissed him. A chaste and gentle kiss on the cheek. One you can give to someone who's in pain.

He knew Ginny had been perfect. He would never have barked at her if he had not just learned about her night with Dean.

It was his turn to be reasonable.

"I'm sorry Ginny. But I just wish you told me _then_ " he said, calmly.

She shook her head.

"I'm not sure we would have been okay if I had…" she said, sadly.

Harry had to admit that she might be right. Would he really have wanted to know then? He sighed.

They stayed silent for a while, Harry pressing his temples with his dark fingers.

"It's so weird to look at you right now… I wish you were back to yourself" she said, eyeing him, tears in her eyes. "I want to hug _you_ "

Harry looked at his watch.

"I took the double dose, I won't be back before another hour at least…." he sighed.

Ginny chuckled.

"How in the name of Merlin did you get that idea anyway?" she asked him, looking awed.

"Protection of sources" harry mumbled.

She giggled.

"Was that your surprise then?" she asked, teasing him.

Harry snorted, he felt ridiculous now.

"Yeah… Remember when I asked you if you wanted to have… sex with Dean?" he asked, his voice low and grave, "I've been thinking about that ever since"

Ginny giggled again.

"Harry… this is… Brilliant!" she burst out, giggling. "It's even better!"

He saw her come towards him, hesitantly. She cast him a nervous glance before slowly sitting on his lap.

"Is this okay?" she asked, anxiously.

Harry did not know what to think. After what he had just learned it was difficult to play along.

"I can't believe you would do that for me… you're amazing, you are!" she whispered, looking shy.

She was being really cute and shy. From what he had just witnessed he could tell Ginny was still attracted to Dean, yet she had made it clear that nothing could happen. But seeing how dark her eyes had become right now and the way she bit her lip while sitting on his lap...

"You still want to try it?" he asked her, a bit incredulous.

"Only if it's okay for you. I'd understand if it's too soon..." she whispered timidly, her cheeks pink, her eyes looking down.

Harry breathed deeply.

 _Well, if that is not a proof of wisdom and love from me, what is?_

"I'm not sure I would be able to… perform" he confessed, gesturing at his unfamiliar body.

She giggled again. Ginny hardly ever giggled for him anymore.

Harry made up his mind.

He lifted Ginny from him, took her hand and made her follow him into the living room.

He filled two glasses of Firewhiskey and lit a few candles.

"Let's make the most of this hour then" he simply said.

Ginny's eyes opened wide and her hand shot at her mouth.

"This is the proof of how much I love you" he added, trying to sound brave, his voice a little hoarse.

 _I can't believe I'm doing this…_

Harry began stripping, slowly. Ginny was sitting in the couch, watching him, a concentrated and bemused look on her face. At first, it looked like she could not keep a straight face. She drank two more glasses of firewhiskey, her eyes never leaving him.

Soon, Harry found himself in his underwear.

"These are Harpy boxers!" she giggled pointing at him. "I have no doubt my husband is hiding under that skin" she chuckled.

Harry rolled his eyes but grinned.

He slowly walked towards her and bent to give her a kiss. She seemed hesitant at first, but soon returned the kiss, slowly but passionately. Her lips felt different on him, probably because his were so different. If he closed his eyes he could easily think he was not kissing his own wife. There was more softness there than usual but their movements were awkward and clumsy. She bit his lower lip softly.

He pushed her up to stand against him, his hands playing in her hair. He was so tall that he had to bend a lot more than he usually had to to kiss her properly.

He let his arms go down to caress her back, but they were longer than his own and ended up on her butt. It made her giggle against his mouth and he grinned before sliding his tongue in her mouth.

She began kissing him fiercely, her tongue reaching for his daringly, her hands clumsily caressing his arms, squeezing his muscles, touching his neck and going down his back until she grabbed his arse.

"This feels weird" she whispered.

He didn't answer but started to slowly tug at her shirt, to give his other hand access to her skin. He touched her waist and felt her shiver.

Harry could tell by her intense reaction that she was enjoying this. It took him a few seconds to get rid of any jealousy he might be starting to feel.

"Can I take your top off?" he asked in a whisper.

She looked at him, her eyes glowing and nodded timidly.

He lifted the shirt above her head, unclasped her bra and cast her an intense look before putting his mouth on her breast.

"Harry…" she sighed, hesitant.

He could tell she was very turned on but restraining herself.

Harry thought she feared she might hurt his feelings if she showed too much enthusiasm. Or said Dean's name… he knew it might happen at some point. But he wanted to please her. If he was going to do that for her, he might as well do it right.

"Shhhh" he whispered. "Let go, it's for you, it's my gift to you for being such an amazing wife..."

She whimpered and closed her eyes again, letting her head fall back while his tongue danced around her left nipple. Her skin was hot and salty on his tongue.

When he left her breasts and looked up, her eyes snapped open.

Harry took a few step back to look at her.

She caught his intense stare at her breast and breathed heavily, shifting on her feet, her arms crossing on her stomach.

He was not used to that anymore. He knew her body so well, and she knew his. Self awareness of their bodies was no longer a part of their usual intimacy. He felt excitement rise in him. It felt like she was revealing herself to him for the first time and he loved it.

She could see his hardness through his boxers and bit her lip, looking away.

"I'm not used to you being so shy…" he murmured.

Ginny stuck out her tongue at him and Harry smirked.

She slowly unfastened her skirt in her back and let it fall at her feet, standing in front of him only in her black knickers.

The light was dim and her eyes looked very dark. She was gorgeous. They stood in front of each other for another few seconds. Harry wanted to leave her enough time to watch his body.

Indeed, she was greedily exploring his body with her eyes, regularly looking up at him to check that he was still okay with it.

After a few seconds she looked at him in the eyes and nodded. Harry slowly came back to her, feeling her hot skin against his.

He slid his fingers in her long red hair and kissed her again, deeply, unable to stop himself from pushing her against his hips.

She moaned.

He was very hard. And though he had looked different when he had watched himself in the mirror, he could not feel any difference in the sensations now. Except for Ginny's reactions. They were different. Her moans were somehow faint, subdued in sound but not in intensity.

At this point, Harry was not sure if she wanted to lead or be lead.

Since she had been waiting for his moves, at each step, he made up his mind and decided he should lead. While kissing her, he slowly lowered his hands from her hair, to her back, until he caught the sides of her underwear. He detached his mouth from hers to keep lowering her knickers along her legs. She slowly lifted one foot, then the other, and she was naked.

Harry took a few steps back again and watched her. Her breathing was still heavy. She was turned on, a lot.

He knew what he had to do. Keeping the distance between them intact, he slowly took off his own underwear and waited.

Her eyes timidly lowered to look at him entirely. Harry saw her passing her tongue on her lips. She was hungry for him.

After a few seconds, he realised she would not move and he went back to her, crashing his naked body against hers. She gasped and he kissed her again furiously.

"I want you to take me" she moaned in his mouth.

He wanted to keep touching her, so he slid his fingers between her legs and she gasped at the touch. He discovered that she was very wet so he took her hand and directed it at his manhood.

She gasped when she first touched it, but soon circled it in her hand. He was more than ready.

For the first time she seemed to want to take the lead and stepped back to position herself on all fours on the couch and invited him to join her with a shy glance at him.

Harry smirked. Of all the positions, she had chosen the one that allowed her not to look at him too much. As much as he wanted her to enjoy this, he was moved to know she was avoiding eye contact with Dean for the next part. Yet he wanted her to enjoy it fully.

"Open your legs wider for me" he ordered in a low voice, so different from his own.

She shivered at the sound of his voice but obeyed.

He knelt behind her and slowly caressed her arse before sliding two fingers inside her.

"Fuck!" she moaned, surprised by this intrusion. Harry did not let her time to recompose, he bent his head to lick her folds in a slow, languid movement while pumping with his fingers. The sounds she made send a shiver through his whole body. He took his fingers out and replaced them with his tongue, feeling the wetness and heat around it, his nose buried in her scents.

Ginny's hips jerked at the contact and she whimpered in pleasure. He fucked her with his tongue slowly, each dive earning him another ecstatic moan or hiss. She was soaking on his face, her hips jerking while his hands hold her still. He finally stopped and bent lower to flick his tongue around her clit in one slow motion. It was all it to took to make her come loudly.

He stood up again, wiped his face on his arm, smacked her right cheek playfully and positioned himself at her entrance. He was forced to look at himself in order to aim properly. It was weird. But seeing Ginny offered like that in front of him was enough to erase the weirdness. And seeing his own so unfamiliar dark hands on his wife sent a strong chill of lust through him. He gently pushed his way inside her, holding her by the hips, as she gasped softly. The warmth and wetness were nearly overwhelming at first. He slid gently, in and out and heard her shallow breaths. She was tight, her recent orgasm still pulsing somehow.

"I'm going to make you come again now" he said.

She moaned at his words, without any restrain this time.

He knew his voice was a huge turn on for her right now.

He relaxed his grip on her right hip and slid his hand between her legs, across her thigh. Dean's arms were long and it was handy in this case. Harry hardly needed to bend to stroke her clit while he continued to thrust gently into her. The result was immediate. Ginny's moans intensified again, her back arched to better meet his hand. She was so damn wet.

Harry could sense all of Dean's physical expertise because it didn't ask him too much efforts to keep his own pleasure in control while he stroked Ginny to orgasm.

When her muscles started to contract hard against him he heard himself groan.

She turned her head to look at him just before she came, her face contorted in pleasure.

"Dean…" she hissed, barely audibly.

Harry froze. He had known from the start that it might happen, still it was weird. And yet, it sent another jolt of arousal through his body. He smacked her arse again, hard.

"You really like that, don't you?" he asked in a growl, resuming his thrusts.

Ginny did not answer, her whole body was shaking and her moans sounded as if she was almost in pain.

He really wanted to come too now, so he hold her hips firmly again and thrust into her faster. He felt the pleasure coming but not quickly enough for his taste. It wasn't his body, he could not feel the same limits and pleasure was not growing as rapidly as usual. He thrusted his hips faster, harder and heard Ginny pant. Each of his movement was loud as his body collisioned with hers. Flesh against flesh. Harry was mesmerized by the view of his unfamiliar body slamming against her arse. She was making crazy little cries, her arms gave away and she collapsed on her elbows.

Bending his head on one side, he could see one of her tits moving madly with each of his thrust. He felt elated.

"Please, don't stop!" he heard Ginny moan.

She was about to come again, Harry knew it. He wasn't restraining himself anymore and he knew he was close too. He was still thrusting madly when Ginny came again, moaning a faint litany of desperate "fuck".

Harry let go and came in a last, shaky thrust, forgetting to breath.

When his release was complete, he collapsed heavily on her back through fast breaths.

Panting, Harry softly kissed her neck and moved his weight off her. He collapsed next to her, his body covered in sweat, while she turned on her back, her cheeks red, her breathing still fast.

She glanced at him timidly and he chuckled.

"Well, that was… interesting" he panted.

She nodded.

"Well, so much for your fear of not being able to perform..." she laughed, breathless, rolling her eyes. "Damn that was good..." she added, closing her eyes, her breaths still heavy.

"You were so shy at first… I almost didn't recognize you" Harry teased.

"Yeah well, you should be happy, I'm not used to do _that_ with anyone else" she answered, giggling.

Harry nodded and moved to kiss her. She let him do it but Harry could tell she was a bit uncomfortable.

"Sorry love, but post sex cuddling… will have to wait for you to be back to normal…"

Harry chuckled again, and looked at his watch.

"Should be any minute now…"

Ginny nodded happily and waited, looking at him.

He felt the transformation begin not longer after that.

"So weird" Ginny whispered as she watched him turn back to himself.

When he was finally back, he could see the wonder in her eyes when she snuggled next to him and said "I love you so much".


End file.
